Bayern Munich's Vincent Kompany has defended his team's performance following a goalless draw against Bayer Leverkusen, despite the Bundesliga leaders failing to register a single shot on target in a crucial top-of-the-table clash.
In what proved to be a tense encounter on Saturday, Bayern managed to preserve their eight-point lead at the summit of the Bundesliga, though they were largely outplayed by their closest challengers. Leverkusen dominated proceedings, with Jeremie Frimpong and Nathan Tella both striking the crossbar in a first half that saw the hosts exercise relentless pressure.
The match marked a historic low for Bayern, as they failed to record a single shot in the first half - a first since Bundesliga records began. The visitors found themselves consistently pinned back by a determined Leverkusen side, struggling to generate any meaningful attacking momentum throughout the contest.
Despite these struggles, Kompany remained notably upbeat about his team's performance. Speaking to Sky Germany after the match, he said: "We are now eight points ahead, we got one point. We fought in this game. We can take the result with us. In the first half of the season, we played very dominantly. We actually deserved to win. Today was another fight, but ultimately we took the point and we look forward."
The Bayern manager further elaborated on his team's defensive display: "If a team deserves to go deep against us, then we showed that we can do that. Of course, you always imagine an ideal game and of course it wasn't, but the lads still fought and ran a lot. We've already scored a lot of goals this season, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case today. But the offence supported our defence. Basically, this game also showed that the right teams are at the top."
The result maintains Bayern's commanding position in the title race, with Leverkusen remaining eight points adrift with 14 matches remaining in the campaign. The defending champions will now turn their attention to their upcoming Champions League fixture against Celtic in the second leg of their last-16 play-off, before returning to domestic action against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Leverkusen, who knew victory was essential to keep their title hopes alive, will rue their missed opportunities, particularly a late chance for Florian Wirtz that could have secured all three points for the hosts.
