Ernest Poku kept up his impressive scoring streak as Bayer Leverkusen recovered from their humiliating midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain with a solid 2-0 Bundesliga victory over Freiburg on Sunday.
Leverkusen, still smarting from the 7-2 thrashing in Paris that snapped Kasper Hjulmand’s unbeaten start as coach, responded with a commanding performance that halted Freiburg’s eight-match unbeaten run across all competitions.
Poku opened the scoring after combining neatly with Aleix García, bursting into space on the edge of the box before firing a powerful finish past the goalkeeper.
The lively Dutch midfielder has now registered three goals and an assist in his last four league games, an impressive turnaround after a rocky start since joining Leverkusen in August during the brief Erik ten Hag era.
Centre-back Edmond Tapsoba made it 2-0 early in the second half, rising high to head home from a set piece.
Freiburg’s chances of mounting a comeback faded when Philipp Lienhart was dismissed for a second yellow card.
There was further encouragement for Leverkusen as striker Patrik Schick returned from a thigh injury, making his first appearance in a month.
The victory lifted Leverkusen to fifth place in the table, seven points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, while Freiburg slipped to 11th.
