Football

Bayer Leverkusen's relentless pursuit of their maiden Bundesliga title received a significant boost on Sunday as they secured a 2-0 victory over 10-man Wolfsburg. The triumph extended their lead over Bayern Munich to 10 points, with nine games remaining in the season.Leverkusen's dominance was evident from the outset, and they were handed a major advantage when Wolfsburg's Moritz Jenz was sent off for a second yellow card after just 28 minutes. The hosts capitalized on their numerical superiority, with Nathan Tella heading in a delightful cross from Alex Grimaldo to open the scoring 11 minutes later.Florian Wirtz, who has been instrumental in Leverkusen's resurgence, added the second goal with four minutes remaining, ensuring all three points for his team. The victory marked Leverkusen's third consecutive league match where their opponents finished with 10 men, a testament to the relentless pressure applied by Xabi Alonso's high-energy football.Despite returning from a grueling Europa League match in Azerbaijan just two days prior, Leverkusen showed no signs of fatigue. Alonso made eight changes to keep his side fresh, and the hosts controlled the tempo of the game throughout.In other Bundesliga action, Freiburg maintained their Europa League hopes with a 2-1 win at Bochum. Michael Gregoritsch, who scored the only goal in Freiburg's first leg victory over West Ham, netted again to give his team the lead. Maximilian Eggestein doubled their advantage before Ivan Ordets pulled one back for Bochum.Eintracht Frankfurt extended their grip on sixth place with a 3-1 home victory over nine-man Hoffenheim. John Brooks opened the scoring for Hoffenheim but was later sent off for a last-man tackle. Frankfurt took full advantage, scoring three unanswered goals through Robin Koch, Eric Dina Ebimbe, and Mario Goetze. Hoffenheim's misery was compounded when Ozan Kabak was also shown a second yellow card.