Reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen snatched a 4-3 win at VfB Stuttgart with two late goals on Sunday to snap a three-game losing run in all competitions and cut Bayern Munich’s lead atop the Bundesliga to six points.
Patrik Schick struck in stoppage time to give the visitors the points after they had drawn level minutes earlier courtesy of Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller’s 88th-minute own goal.
Five days after their Champions League Round of 16 exit to Bayern following defeats in both legs, Leverkusen bounced back from last week’s 2-0 home defeat by Werder Bremen.
The result lifted Leverkusen to 56 points in second place, cutting Bayern’s lead to six after their 1-1 draw at Union Berlin on Saturday.
Ermedin Demirovic put Stuttgart ahead in the 15th minute before the unmarked Nick Woltemade slotted home to complete a quick break and make it 2-0 three minutes after halftime.
Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong cut the deficit in the 56th after Stuttgart repeatedly failed to clear the ball.
However, the hosts restored their two-goal lead after 62 minutes when goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky saved a Demirovic shot but the ball bounced off Granit Xhaka for an own goal.
Six minutes later it was Leverkusen’s turn to score with Piero Hincapie drilling in a shot to give them renewed hope.
Amine Adli came agonisingly close to an equaliser in the 82nd but his shot just missed before Stiller scored an own goal.
Schick completed Leverkusen’s pulsating late comeback in stoppage time to keep them firmly in the title race.
