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In the 68th minute, Leipzig nearly capitalized on their renewed structure. Werner, now playing off Poulsen, received a clever flick-on and broke free down the left channel. Driving into the box, he cut inside past Bender and unleashed a powerful shot. However, Hrádecký once again proved his worth, diving low to his right to smother the effort. The rebound fell to Forsberg, who swung his foot to meet the ball first time, but he wasn't the only one swinging for the ball.
Tah who had been marking him also swung his foot resulting in both men hitting the ball at the same time. The odd lack of resistance left both players off balance and in their attempt to strike the ball, but none managed to land a clear strike. Thus, Hrádecký was surprised to see the ball lazily floating towards him just as he sprung up from the ground ready to make another save.
Still, he went through the motion of catching the ball and throwing himself to the ground acting as if he had just saved a cannon of a shot. "Here," his teammates didn't let him act for long as heard Diaby exclaim from the left wing as he started running up the field. Without hesitation, Hrádecký jumped up from the ground and sprinted to the edge of his box in a matter of seconds.
His right arm was drawn back mirroring a javelin throw as he looked ahead seeing Diaby ready to explode past his marker. He changed his mind at the last second as he watched the Leipzig defence subconsciously shift that way. Trusting his instincts he sent his throw up the right wing instead where Havertz's had dropped back to receive it just a couple of paces from the halfway line.
Havertz wasn't expecting the ball to go to him but still managed to react expertly by chesting it down before his marker could react. Performing a quick Cruyff Turn he left Demme behind him before bolting down the wing, his long strides eating up the ground as Leipzig's defenders scrambled to track back. In a matter of moments, he crossed into the final third before Orbán managed to catch up to him and stand in his way.
Havertz didn't take him on though as he played a sharp pass inwards into the feet of Joel Pohjanpalo who held off Upamecano. The Leverkusen striker did his best to hold off his marker as he turned in the other direction unleashing a diagonal through ball past Klostermann. Diaby didn't disappoint as he accelerated forward latching onto the ball in just two long strides racing towards the corner flag.
Klostermann couldn't even catch up with him before he sent a sharp cross into the box just around the penalty spot. Havertz sprinted into the box, reading the play perfectly as Diaby's cross flew in with pace and precision. The Leipzig defenders were caught off-guard by the speed of Leverkusen's transition, and Orbán scrambled to close down Havertz.
The ball sailed past the near post, bypassing both defenders and attackers until it found Kai Havertz at the far post. Havertz adjusted his body mid-air, twisting to connect with the cross on his weaker foot. His volley was struck clean and true, sending the ball rocketing toward the goal.
Gulácsi reacted instinctively, diving to his left, but the shot was too powerful and too precise. The ball bulged the back of the net, and the BayArena erupted in deafening cheers. Havertz sprinted toward the corner flag, arms outstretched, as his teammates rushed to celebrate with him. 2-1 Leverkusen!
The stadium echoed with chants of Havertz's name as the scoreboard lit up. Peter Bosz clapped enthusiastically on the sidelines, but the rest of the team's players were less reserved. They directly jumped up from their seats running in the direction of the corner flag where Havertz was heading to join in on the celebrations.
It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but they were all exhilarated by taking the lead that no one minded it. Meanwhile, Nagelsmann furiously barked instructions to his team, urging them to regain their focus. Some disgruntled Leipzig players even tried to call out for an offside, but the match official was having none of it.
Leipzig restarted the game with renewed urgency. In the 73rd minute, Poulsen received a long ball from Sabitzer and used his physicality to hold off Tah. He laid it off to Werner, who darted into the box with speed as he slipped by his marker, but he didn't get far as a tug on his shoulder sent him tumbling to the ground.
The Leverkusen players didn't even get a moment to process what had happened when the ref blew his whistles and pointed to the spot. Bender tried to plead his innocence, but the referee was having none of it as he pulled out a red card sending the defender off the field. In his view, Bender was the last man, and Werner was through on the goal, so his tug warranted a sending-off.
The BayArena erupted in a mix of frustration and disbelief as Sven Bender trudged off the pitch, shaking his head in frustration. The Leverkusen bench protested furiously, but their appeals fell on deaf ears. With their captain sent off, Leverkusen were down to ten men and now faced the daunting task of defending a penalty against Leipzig's clinical forward, Timo Werner.
Peter Bosz tried to protest on the sidelines, but the fourth official remained impassive to his arguments. In the end, he could only console Bender who walked by him as he focused on the penalty that was about to be taken.
Werner confidently placed the ball on the penalty spot, taking a moment to steady his breathing. Hrádecký stood on his line, bouncing lightly on his toes, trying to read the striker's intentions. The tension in the stadium was palpable, the fans holding their breath as Werner began his run-up.
He struck the ball firmly, aiming for the bottom left corner. Hrádecký guessed wrong diving to the right and could only watch as the ball sent his net bulging, eliciting a triumphant cheer from the away fans. 2-2 Leipzig!
The away fans roared in celebration as Werner jogged toward the corner flag, pointing to the Leipzig crest on his shirt with a determined expression. His teammates rushed to join him, a mix of relief and jubilation written on their faces. Meanwhile, the Leverkusen fans in the BayArena were stunned into silence, the lead they had fought so hard for was now gone.
Peter Bosz wasted no time reacting. Down to ten men and with the match tied, he signalled for Havertz to drop into midfield and Baumgartlinger to drop into the back line. Weiser also dropped into the back line creating a flat 4 at the back bolstered by a flat 3 of Diaby, Havertz, and Amiri. The change in formation into a 4-3-1 gave Leverkusen a higher defensive presence in the middle of the field.
None of that matters to the Leipzig squad who smelled blood in the water after not only equalizing but now being up by a man. They began to push relentlessly, their numerical advantage allowing them to dominate possession and pin Leverkusen deep in their half. Nagelsmann could be seen on the touchline, urging his players forward, his tactical adjustments amplifying the pressure on Leverkusen's makeshift backline.
Sabitzer, now operating as Leipzig's creative hub, dictated the play from midfield. He sprayed a cross-field pass to Nkunku, who took it down expertly before driving at Wendell. Nkunku skipped past the left-back with a clever step-over and drilled a low cross into the six-yard box. Poulsen lunged for it but was beaten to the ball by a desperate clearance from Baumgartlinger, who had tracked it back into the box.
Leverkusen, under siege, looked for opportunities to counter. Havertz, now deeper, showed his versatility by intercepting a pass meant for Laimer. With a quick turn, he released Diaby on the left wing. Diaby's blistering pace allowed him to sprint past Klostermann, but his cross into the box lacked precision, sailing over Pohjanpalo and into the arms of Gulácsi.
Leipzig responded immediately, launching another wave of attacks. Werner and Poulsen combined seamlessly, with Poulsen acting as a pivot to draw defenders and create space. In the 81st minute, Werner played a delicate one-two with Sabitzer and found himself through on goal again, but Wendell managed a last-ditch sliding tackle to deny the German striker a clear shot.
Leverkusen's resilience was beginning to show cracks. A misplaced pass from Amiri in midfield allowed Leipzig to pounce. Nkunku capitalized, threading a pass to Forsberg, who unleashed a curling effort from just outside the box.