Leverkusen stretches record unbeaten run to 45 games after Stanišić scores late at Dortmund

BERLIN (AP) — Josip Stanišić scored in stoppage time for champion Bayer Leverkusen to preserve its German record unbeaten run with a 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Leverkusen substitute Florian Wirtz sent in a corner that Stanišić headed to equalize in the seventh minute of stoppage time, stretching the visitors’ unbeaten start to the season to 45 games across all competitions.

"Today was crazy," Stanišić said.

Leverkusen, which clinched its first ever Bundesliga title last weekend, was heading toward its first defeat since the final day of last season when Niclas Füllkrug scored for Dortmund in the 81st minute.

Marcel Sabitzer crossed for Füllkrug to score with a volley against the run of play as Leverkusen had gone closer to breaking the deadlock.

Tempers flared late in the game before Stanišić kept the league champions’ celebrations going for another week.

“Our goal is to complete the season unbeaten,” Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka said.

Xabi Alonso’s team, which has also reached the German Cup final, faces Roma in the Europa League semifinals with the first leg in Rome on May 2.

BREMEN STUNS STUTTGART

Marvin Ducksch scored twice for Werder Bremen to beat Stuttgart 2-1 and end the visitors' 11-game run without defeat in the league

Ducksch dispatched a penalty in the 28th minute, then scored again early in the second half for Bremen to take a big step away from the relegation zone.

Germany forward Deniz Undav scored late for Stuttgart but couldn’t prevent the visitors’ first league loss since January, when the team lost 1-0 at Bochum.

Stuttgart remained third, on course for Champions League qualification, despite the loss.

Bremen moved eight points clear of Mainz, which was in the relegation playoff place before it played later at Freiburg.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Leverkusen's Josip Stanisic, up, scores for his team in the last minute against Dortmund's goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, right, during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday, April 21, 2024. The match ended 1-1, Leverkusen is unbeaten since 45 matches. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen's Josip Stanisic, center, celebrates after scoring in the last minute during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen's Josip Stanisic, up, scores for his team in the last minute during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday, April 21, 2024. The match ended 1-1, Leverkusen is unbeaten since 45 matches. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Leverkusen's Josip Stanisic, left, celebrates after scoring in the last minute during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen in Dortmund, Germany, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Werder's Nick Woltemade, right, fights for the ball with Stuttgart's Leonidas Stergiou during the Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart at the Weserstadion stadium in Bremen, Germany, Sunday April 21, 2024. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

Werder's Marvin Ducksch celebrates after scoring his side's first goal of the game during the Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart at the Weserstadion stadium in Bremen, Germany, Sunday April 21, 2024. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

Werder's Marvin Ducksch, centre, scores his side's first goal of the game during the Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart at the Weserstadion stadium in Bremen, Germany, Sunday April 21, 2024. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

Werder's Marvin Ducksch celebrates after scoring his side's second goal of the game during the Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart at the Weserstadion stadium in Bremen, Germany, Sunday April 21, 2024. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

Werder's Marvin Ducksch celebrates after scoring his side's second goal of the game during the Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart at the Weserstadion stadium in Bremen, Germany, Sunday April 21, 2024. (Carmen Jaspersen/dpa via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former FBI officials settled lawsuits with the Justice Department on Friday, resolving claims that their privacy rights were violated when the department leaked to the news media text messages that they had sent one another that disparaged former President Donald Trump.

Peter Strzok, a former top counterintelligence agent who played a crucial role in the investigation into Russian election interference in 2016, settled his case for $1.2 million. Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer who exchanged text messages with Strzok, also reached a separate settlement. Court records reviewed by The Associated Press show she is to be paid $800,000.

The two had sued the Justice Department over a 2017 episode in which officials shared copies with reporters of text messages that they had sent each other, including ones that described Trump as an “idiot” and a ”loathsome human” and that called the prospect of a Trump victory “terrifying.”

Strzok, who also investigated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, was fired after the text messages came to light. Page resigned. They later sued, alleging that department officials leaked the texts to promote a false narrative of anti-Trump bias within the FBI and to elevate the department's status with Trump after his relentless attacks on then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Justice Department inspector general reports examining the handling of the Clinton email and Trump-Russia investigations did not find evidence that partisan bias within the FBI influenced investigative decisions.

Strzok has also sued the department over his termination, alleging that the FBI caved to “unrelenting pressure” from Trump when it fired him and that his First Amendment rights were violated. Those constitutional claims remain pending.

“This outcome is a critical step forward in addressing the government’s unfair and highly politicized treatment of Pete,” Strzok's lawyer, Aitan Goelman, said in a statement Friday announcing the settlement.

“As important as it is for him, it also vindicates the privacy interests of all government employees. We will continue to litigate Pete’s constitutional claims to ensure that, in the future, public servants are protected from adverse employment actions motivated by partisan politics,” he added.

A spokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment Friday.

“While I have been vindicated by this result, my fervent hope remains that our institutions of justice will never again play politics with the lives of their employees,” Page said in a statement.

Her attorneys said in a statement that “the evidence was overwhelming that the release of text messages to the press in December 2017 was for partisan political purposes and was against the law. ”

FILE - A sign outside the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building is seen in Washington, May 4, 2021. Two former FBI officials have settled lawsuits Friday, July 26, 2024, with the Justice Department to resolve claims that their privacy was violated when the department leaked to the news media text messages that they had sent one another that disparaged former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)