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Germany Soccer Bundesliga
Leverkusen's Aleix Garcia scores during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Bochum at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bundesliga champion Bayer Leverkusen beat Bochum 3-1 and narrowed the gap to leader Bayern Munich to three points on Friday.
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso could take particular satisfaction from the win after two debatable selections were involved in his team’s goals in a fine second-half display.
Alonso opted to include Ecuadoran Piero Hincapie and Argentine Exequiel Palacios from the start even though they’d had little time to recover from World Cup qualifiers in South America this week.