Bayern stunned by Leverkusen's 3-1 comeback win

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Defending champions Bayern Munich dropped to third in the Bundesliga on Saturday after crashing to a shock 3-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen, allowing Borussia Dortmund to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table to seven points.

Peter Bosz's attack-minded Leverkusen scored three goals in the second half as Leon Bailey and Kevin Volland overturned Bayern's lead, from Leon Goretzka's 41st-minute goal, while Lucas Alario sealed the win with a late strike.

This is only a fourth league defeat on Bayern this season while Dortmund added a point to their lead despite being held to a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayern's seven-match winning streak in the league ended abruptly and dropped from second to third on goal difference after Borussia Moenchengladbach leap-frogged them with a 2-0 win at Schalke.

Match between Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munchen at the BayArena in Leverkusen Germany, February 2, 2019. /VCG Photo

The defeat comes as Bayern prepare for a few busy weeks in all competitions, with the German Cup encounter at Hertha Berlin next week and their Champions League Round of 16, two-legged tie with Premier League leaders Liverpool later this month.

"The result does not really reflect the game," Bayern coach Niko Kovac said, "We played a good first half. We should have scored a second early on as well.”

"We knew Leverkusen would step on the gas in the second half and we wanted to be very compact. We did not fully succeed in that," said Kovac.

He added that "The only positive thing is that Dortmund didn't get three points."

(With input from Reuters and AFP)