During the Saturday evening match of the 21st Bundesliga round, Borussia Mönchengladbach hosted Bayer 04 Leverkusen and the game finished 1-1.
The home side opened the scoring early. In the 10th minute Yannik Engelhardt capitalised on a mistake by Leverkusen’s goalkeeper Daniel Blaswich and a well‑dodged shot, giving Mönchengladbach a quick advantage. The Gladbach forwards pressed hard and kept the ball in the opposition area, but the visitors found it difficult to build from the front, with several passes turning into missed chances and the Gladbach centre‑back Jens Castrop winning many duels.
In the 27th minute Kevin Diks received the first yellow card of the match for a risky tackle on Jonas Hofmann that clipped the shin. Just before half‑time, Leverkusen turned the tables. In the 44th minute Philipp Sander deflected a shot by Blaswich back into his own net, restoring the score to 1-1 as the game headed into the second half.
The second half saw Leverkusen noticeably more proactive. Manager Kasper Hjulmand made several substitutions to inject fresh energy, bringing on Martin Terrier and Christian Kofane. In the 48th minute Patrik Schick had a promising long‑range effort that grazed the post but failed to tap it in. Leverkusen continued to dominate possession, yet the Gladbach defence remained resilient.
Gladbach responded by bringing on newcomers Hugo Bolin and Joe Scally to add width, but the visitors’ offensive momentum was hard to break. In the 75th minute Schick got close again after a defensive error by Gladbach’s Jan‑Petr Reitz, only to be thwarted by the Gladbach defenders.
Both teams maintained high possession throughout, but neither converted the numerous opportunities that followed. The final 15 minutes saw further caution as Kevin Stöger (Gladbach) and Exequiel Palacios (Leverkusen) were booked for an emotional clash in the 68th minute.
In the end, the match ended in a balanced 1-1 draw. Mönchengladbach enjoyed early defensive solidity and an early goal, but were unable to extend their lead. Leverkusen dominated the game from a possession standpoint, especially in the second half, yet could not break through Gladbach’s sturdy defence to secure a win.