Leverkusen Holds Bayern Munich to a Draw in a Tense Encounter

Bayer Leverkusen's tenacious defensive display earned them a valuable point in a 1-1 draw against Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday. Despite Bayern's dominance in possession and shots, Leverkusen's resolute defense held firm, only conceding a stunning long-range goal from Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Leverkusen took the lead through Robert Andrich, but Bayern's relentless pressure eventually paid off with Pavlovic's spectacular strike. Despite Bayern's dominance, Leverkusen managed to hold on for a well-deserved point, extending Xabi Alonso's unbeaten record against the German giants to four games.

"The energy and belief at Bayern is different than last season, they are going full throttle with and against the ball. That was very tough today. We can be happy with the point," said Alonso.

Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka, who assisted the opening goal, acknowledged their defensive strategy. "We are self-critical. If you score three goals every game, that's not enough. If we play well today and switch gears, we can do something," Xhaka said.

"Defensively, we put in a good performance. The goal today was to be compact and concede little. You can certainly do more with the ball and everyone knows that we can do more."

Leverkusen will now turn their attention to the Champions League, where they host AC Milan on Tuesday.