Bayer Leverkusen 5-1 Freiburg: Schick nets four as Die Werkself thrash visitors
Patrik Schick scored four goals as Bayer Leverkusen convincingly achieved their fifth consecutive Bundesliga win, overwhelming European rivals Freiburg with a score of 5-1 at the BayArena, thereby maintaining their pursuit of league leaders Bayern Munich.
The home side commenced the match with aggressive intent, and although they hoped for one of their numerous skilled forwards to capitalize, it was defender Edmond Tapsoba who narrowly missed from six yards out following a corner.
After Nathan Tella's attempt went over the bar, Freiburg nearly took the lead in the 11th minute when Lucas Holer set up Philipp Lienhart, whose powerful shot from the edge of the area struck the crossbar before going over.
Freiburg posed another threat shortly after the quarter-hour mark when Maximilian Eggestein failed to convert a close-range header, directing it straight at goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
Florian Wirtz continued to be a nuisance for the opposition, winning a penalty in the 30th minute after being fouled by Ritsu Doan.
Despite his earlier miss, Wirtz stepped up to take the penalty but was thwarted by an impressive save from Noah Atubolu, who dived low to his right to keep the score level.
Just as it seemed the teams would head into halftime on equal terms, Wirtz showcased his skill by assisting Schick, who cleverly lifted the ball over the onrushing Atubolu in stoppage time.
Wirtz quickly redeemed himself five minutes into the second half, receiving a perfectly timed pass from Exequiel Palacios before unleashing a powerful shot into the top of the net.
Freiburg might have been expected to capitulate following this onslaught, yet they responded by narrowing the deficit when Vincenzo Grifo scored with a low shot that found its way into the bottom corner past a diving Hradecky.
Nevertheless, this moment of hope was short-lived, as Schick swiftly punished the visitors further.
He elevated himself above Matthias Ginter to direct a header into the bottom corner following a perfectly placed cross from Wirtz in the 67th minute. Just seven minutes later, the duo linked up once more, with the Czech international striking a low shot from the German’s cutback to secure his hat-trick.
The visitors appeared somewhat dazed, yet Schick was not done, as he converted a header from Alejandro Grimaldo’s cross, marking his fourth goal and Leverkusen’s fifth.
Freiburg had no answer to this onslaught, concluding the year with a significant defeat that ended their three-match unbeaten streak. Meanwhile, Leverkusen finished an impressive 2024 in second place, closely trailing Bayern at the top of the table.
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