Bayer Leverkusen claimed a deserved 3-1 away victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, building the platform for their success with a calm, ruthless first-half display.
Although the contest initially lacked fluency, the visitors steadily imposed themselves and punished Frankfurt’s defensive lapses, scoring twice before the interval and maintaining control for most of the evening.
Frankfurt attempted a spirited response after the break, but it ultimately proved insufficient as Leverkusen saw out the game and struck late to seal the result.
The first major talking point arrived as early as the sixth minute when Robert Andrich clipped Frankfurt forward Arnaud Kalimuendo on the calf inside the box following a delivery from wide.
The referee paused play to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, but to the frustration of the home crowd, no penalty was given.
Aside from that moment, the opening exchanges were tight and cautious, with both sides prioritising defensive structure. Rhythm was hard to come by, and after 20 minutes, Leverkusen’s effort through Quansah, comfortably dealt with by the Frankfurt backline, stood as the only attempt of note.
Frankfurt goalkeeper Kauã Santos again lived up to his reputation of operating “between genius and madness.”
In the 18th minute, he nearly handed Leverkusen a goal by misplacing a simple pass straight to an unmarked opponent, though the visitors failed to take advantage of the error.
Leverkusen eventually turned their dominance into a breakthrough in the 26th minute.
A sharp combination between full-backs Alejandro Grimaldo and Arthur down the right opened up the defence, allowing Arthur to surge into the area and slot a composed finish into the far corner.
The lead was doubled just six minutes later as Frankfurt’s defensive frailties resurfaced. Despite crowding seven players inside their own penalty area, the hosts were undone when Kofane, standing in for the injured Patrik Schick, cleverly flicked the ball back with his heel to Malik Tillman, who guided a low effort into the near corner from the edge of the box.
Leverkusen nearly added a third before the interval, with Edmond Tapsoba wasting a promising chance, but the visitors still went into the break firmly in command at 2-0, while Frankfurt were left reflecting on another shaky defensive showing.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically early in the second half. Just four minutes after the restart, Frankfurt pulled one back from a corner, with Robin Koch reacting quickest to a rebound to reduce the deficit.
Barely a minute later, Brown found space inside the box, but his goal-bound effort was crucially blocked.
Frankfurt continued to press during the opening 15 minutes of the second half, catching Leverkusen off guard and coming close to an equaliser.
Kasper Hjulmand’s side enjoyed their strongest spell of the match and were unfortunate not to draw level.
Just as the hosts appeared to be building real momentum, disaster struck. Ellyes Skhiri received two yellow cards for separate fouls within the space of two minutes, leaving Frankfurt to play the final 20 minutes with ten men.
The dismissal drained the intensity from the contest. Frankfurt became more cautious, seemingly hoping for a late moment of fortune, while Leverkusen, despite dipping noticeably after the break and offering little threat for long stretches, managed the game with greater composure.
With Frankfurt unable to find the decisive touch, Leverkusen struck the final blow moments before full time.
A swift counter-attack caught the hosts off balance, and Aleix García finished calmly to put the result beyond doubt.
In the end, Skhiri’s red card proved a turning point, halting Frankfurt’s resurgence and allowing Leverkusen to secure a 3-1 victory that accurately reflected their clinical first-half performance.
