Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to defeat Freiburg 2-1 in the Bundesliga on Sunday, with Patrik Schick scoring the decisive goal in the 76th minute to end the visitors’ unbeaten run across all competitions this season.
The victory lifted Leverkusen to 13 points, placing them in the top four of the standings, level on points with Freiburg but behind them on goal difference.
Freiburg made a promising start at the BayArena, taking the lead in the 14th minute through Derry Scherhant, who put the visitors ahead while Germany coach Juergen Klopp watched from the stands.
However, Leverkusen responded quickly, with Ibrahim Maza restoring parity just five minutes later to bring the hosts back into the contest.
Both sides struggled to create clear-cut opportunities after the interval as the match remained evenly balanced.
The breakthrough eventually came in the 76th minute when Maza produced an impressive individual effort, evading three Freiburg defenders near the corner line before delivering a cutback for Schick to finish from close range.
The goal proved decisive, securing three valuable points for Leverkusen and extending Schick’s remarkable start to the campaign.
The Czech striker made history by becoming the first Leverkusen player to score in each of the club’s opening six matches of a season.
Freiburg, meanwhile, suffered their first defeat of the campaign across all competitions ahead of a challenging Bundesliga encounter against Bayern Munich next week.
Bayern moved to the top of the standings with 14 points after thrashing RB Leipzig 6-1 on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund also have 14 points and occupy second place.
Leverkusen will take encouragement from their comeback victory as they seek to maintain their push towards the top of the Bundesliga table.
