Patrik Schick kept up his record of scoring in every Bundesliga game this season as Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to beat Freiburg 2-1 at the BayArena on Sunday, ending the visitors' unbeaten start. Ibrahim Maza equalised and then set up Schick's 76th-minute winner.
Match facts
- Result: Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 SC Freiburg (half-time 1-1)
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 6
- Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen
- Scorers: Leverkusen - Maza 19', Schick 76'; Freiburg - Scherhant 14'
- Assists: Leverkusen - Schick (19'), Maza (76'); Freiburg - Treu (14')
- Red cards: None
- Next: OFI Crete v Bayer Leverkusen (Europa League) and Monaco v SC Freiburg (Conference League), Thursday 22 October; Hoffenheim v Bayer Leverkusen and SC Freiburg v Bayern Munich, Sunday 25 October
How the match unfolded
Freiburg, who went into the weekend top of the table with a club-record 13 points from five games, struck first in the 14th minute. Philipp Treu won the ball back and combined with Niklas Beste down the right before Derry Scherhant rolled a left-footed finish into the bottom corner.
Leverkusen hit back five minutes later. Schick laid the ball wide to Moussa Diaby, took the return inside the area and rolled it across to the unmarked Maza, who finished with the outside of his right boot.
The rest of the half was tight and short of clear chances. Igor Matanović headed off target from a Beste free-kick, and Treu was booked in the 39th minute for bringing down Afonso Moreira.
Leverkusen gradually took control after the break. Mio Backhaus saved from Moreira at a tight angle, and around the hour mark Schick blazed over from the penalty spot after Diaby had been dispossessed in the box. Nathan Tella replaced Moreira in the 59th minute and Malik Tillman came on for Diaby in the 73rd.
The decisive moment came in the 76th minute. Maza weaved past several defenders on the byline and squared the ball across the six-yard box for Schick to finish with his right foot.
Freiburg pushed for an equaliser through substitutes Cyriaque Irié and Lucas Höler. At the other end Backhaus kept out a Maza shot shortly before Maza made way for Jonas Hofmann in the 84th minute, and in the third of three added minutes Höler headed inches wide from close range.
What it means
The defeat was Freiburg's first in the league this season and leaves Julian Schuster's side third on 13 points, level with Leverkusen and a point behind Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Bayern lead on goal difference after their 6-1 win over RB Leipzig, while Dortmund were held to a goalless draw at Union Berlin.
For Carles Martínez's Leverkusen, it was a third straight league win and 13 points from 15 since their opening-day defeat at Elversberg. According to the Bundesliga, Schick is the first Leverkusen player to score in each of the club's opening six games of a Bundesliga season, while Maza had a hand in both goals.
What's next
Both clubs are in European action on Thursday: Leverkusen visit OFI Crete in the Europa League (17:45 UK) and Freiburg travel to Monaco in the Conference League (20:00 UK). Next Sunday, Leverkusen go to Hoffenheim (14:30 UK) before Freiburg host Bayern (16:30 UK).
BetAlert's database lists reported betting scam accounts, and its account checks are free.