In a frenetic opening the visitors struck three times in the first 19 minutes as they enjoyed a perfect start to the year with the league resuming following a three-week winter break. Dortmund, who twice cut the deficit, had fielded a largely makeshift team due to flu and injuries in what was their first home loss of the season. A last-minute backline had to be cobbled together after defenders Waldemar Anton, Emre Can, Ramy Bensebaini and Nico Schlotterbeck were all ruled out along with long-time injured Niklas Suele.
It showed instantly with Leverkusen winning possession after some high pressing and Nathan Tella completing the move to give the visitors the lead after 25 seconds. Dortmund had no time to regroup with Leverkusen scoring again in the eighth minute and striker Schick sliding in to complete a textbook counter-attack.
The hosts briefly recovered and pulled a goal back through Jamie Gittens four minutes later but Schick restored Leverkusen's two-goal cushion in the 19th with a fine finish at the far post after yet another quick break. The Czech international, who had also scored four times in the last game of the year against Freiburg on Dec. The hosts hardly had any chances in the second half but were thrown a lifeline when Serhou Guirassy converted a 79th minute penalty.
Leverkusen survived late Dortmund pressure thanks mainly to some superb defending by Edmond Tapsoba and Piero Hincapie, to hold on and move up to 35 points, one behind leaders Bayern, who travel to Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
On December 31, , the Vietnamese government issued Decree No. Bayern led as Harry Kane scored twice, but Finn Porath replied for Kiel before Steven Skrzybski's stoppage-time double threatened to steal an unlikely point. Both Real and City failed to advance automatically to the last 16 as one of the top eight sides after they finished 11th and 22nd, respectively, in the new league-phase format. Rubiales, 47, is accused of sexual assault and of then attempting to coerce Hermoso, 34, into declaring that the kiss had been consensual.
