Bailey back on the scoresheet

Despite national striker Leon Bailey ending his two-month goal drought, his German club Bayer Leverkusen suffered a shocking exit from the German Cup yesterday when they were defeated 2-1 in extra time by fourth division club Rot Weiss Essen in their third-round match at the Stadion Essen.

The 23-year-old managed to score his first competitive goal for 2021, giving Leverkusen the lead in extra time as the match ended 0-0 in regulation. Defender Aleksander Dragovic managed to find Bailey and finished from close range, and was seemingly on the verge to the next round. However, Essen managed to equalise three minutes after the restart, thanks to Oguzhan Kefir, and the club completed the turnaround in the 117th minute as Simon Engelman put the home team ahead for good to deny Leverkusen another opportunity at silverware.

Leverkusen managed to reach the final of last year's German Cup final, but ultimately lost to holders Bayern Munich. Now, both finalists will not have a chance at the trophy this year, as Bayern suffered a shocking elimination of their own in the second round of the competition, losing to second division club Holstein Keil on penalties.

Bailey has now scored nine goals and registered eight assists in all competitions this year, but before yesterday's game hadn't scored a goal since December 12, when he netted a brace in their 4-1 rout of Hoffenheim. Leverkusen's elimination has opened the path for a new champion to be crowned.

With their elimination from the German Cup, Leverkusen have now lost three games in all competitions, including two back-to-back league defeats against Wolfsburg and RB Leipzig. They have dropped to fifth place with 32 points, one point adrift of the top four but 13 points behind leaders Bayern. Leverkusen hope to return to winning ways this Saturday when they face Stuttgart.