Key Takeaways
- Patrik Schick scored three goals against his old club to inspire a vital win for Bayer Leverkusen
- The victory lifts Die Werkself into the top four with just two matches remaining this season
- RB Leipzig remain in the qualification race but missed a key chance to cement their position
Earlier results had handed both teams a huge opportunity. VfB Stuttgart could only manage a draw against TSG Hoffenheim away from home. This meant the visitors could move closer to Champions League qualification with a victory. However, the home side also had plenty at stake. Bayer Leverkusen knew that three points would push them into the top four for the first time since the twenty-second matchday.
The match began at a frantic pace. Inside the opening five minutes, Leverkusen appealed for a penalty after a handball, but referee Tobias Welz ignored the claims. Moments later, the visitors came close when Rômulo Cardoso struck the side-netting.
Leipzig struggled to handle the hosts’ rapid attacking moves. Rômulo wasted another excellent chance when Aleix García cleared his effort off the goalline. At the opposite end, Jarell Quansah also hit the side-netting as the action switched quickly from end to end.
The breakthrough arrived before the half-hour mark. Former Leipzig striker Patrik Schick found himself in the perfect position to tap home after a sweeping move. Mark Flekken started the attack with a long pass, Ibrahim Maza carried the ball forward with a tricky run, and Nathan Tella provided the unselfish final pass.
Leverkusen continued to dominate and created several openings in the following ten minutes. Maarten Vandevoordt produced a fine save to deny Tella, while El Chadaille Bitshiabu made a crucial goal-line clearance to stop Schick from adding a second.
The visitors nearly equalised when Max Finkgräfe, who scored his maiden goal last week against Union Berlin, fired a powerful shot that flew just wide of the target. However, Leverkusen deservedly doubled their advantage just before the interval. Tella found the net with a superb first-time strike from Aleix García’s cross.
The Leipzig coach made substitutions during the break as he searched for a response. Yet the home team maintained control and produced one of their strongest displays of the campaign. Schick went close again shortly after Alejandro Grimaldo fired a free-kick off target.
The Czech forward did not have to wait long to extend the lead. He calmly slotted home his fifteenth goal of the season following another delightful piece of play from Maza. This marked his fourth strike against his former employers in the last three meetings.
Surprisingly, Leipzig improved significantly after falling three goals behind. Flekken was finally forced into action and made several important stops. The visitors pulled a goal back when Christopher Baumgartner guided a header into the net from Brjan Gruda’s delivery.
Any hopes of a comeback were crushed in the eighty-ninth minute. Schick completed his hat-trick with a clinical finish following another swift counter-attack. A brief VAR check confirmed the goal stood. All five of his career hat-tricks have come at the BayArena.
The result leaves Leverkusen level on points with Stuttgart and Hoffenheim. They will travel to face Stuttgart next week before hosting HSV on the final day. Leipzig retain a four-point cushion over this group and need just one win from their remaining matches against St. Pauli or Freiburg. German football could yet send five clubs to next season’s Champions League depending on results elsewhere involving FC Bayern and Freiburg.