Freiburg 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen: Leverkusen hold off hosts to restore 10-point advantage at the top

Bayer Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, secured a thrilling victory over Freiburg with a 3-2 scoreline, extending their lead to 10 points over defending champions Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga table.

Following a 5-0 defeat to West Ham in Europe, Christian Streich’s team aimed to redeem themselves against the league leaders. Despite their efforts, the team faced another challenging day in the Black Forest, having not won a home league game in the last three matches - their worst run since December 2020.

Florian Wirtz of Leverkusen scored within 90 seconds after a setup by Alex Grimaldo. Freiburg responded with a goal of their own through Ritsu Doan, who combined with Lucas Holer before beating Leverkusen's Lukas Hradecky.

Freiburg had more chances in the first half, but Leverkusen's dominance showed when Adam Hlozek scored from close range.

Despite this, Freiburg remained resilient, knowing that breaking Bayern's hold on the title would require 15 points from their remaining nine matches.

However, the outcome was not long-lasting. Patrik Schick, the hero of the midweek, skillfully chipped Jeremie Frimpong's cross over Noah Atubolu in the Freiburg net.

In response to the third goal, which clearly affected the confidence of his team, Streich decided to make a triple substitution.

To be honest, it seemed like the changes had little impact, as Leverkusen comfortably controlled the ball and victory seemed certain.

Nevertheless, with just 10 minutes remaining, Yannik Keitel scored a goal against the run of play, bringing excitement to the Europa-Park Stadion.

Despite their brave effort, the hosts eventually ran out of energy, allowing Alonso's impressive team to navigate their way out of danger and extend their remarkable unbeaten streak to 37 competitive games.