Bayer Leverkusen produced the perfect response to their 7–2 midweek defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, defeating Freiburg 2–0 at the BayArena on Sunday to extend their unbeaten Bundesliga run to seven matches.
Ernest Poku and Edmond Tapsoba were the heroes for Xabi Alonso’s side, scoring in either half as Leverkusen showed resilience and control to put their European setback behind them. The win keeps Die Werkself in fourth place, seven points adrift of league leaders Bayern Munich, who have won all eight of their matches so far.
The game began with Freiburg on the front foot, as former Leverkusen goalkeeper Mark Flekken was called into action early, denying Derry Scherhant and Junior Adamu with sharp reflex saves. The hosts slowly grew into the contest, and Alejandro Grimaldo’s curling free-kick in the 17th minute forced a fingertip stop from Noah Atubolu.
Leverkusen’s breakthrough arrived five minutes later when Ernest Poku cut inside from the right and curled a precise left-footed strike into the bottom corner for 1–0. The goal steadied the home side, who began to dominate possession and dictate the rhythm of play.
After the interval, Leverkusen doubled their advantage in the 52nd minute. Grimaldo was again the creator, delivering a pinpoint cross from the right that Edmond Tapsoba met with a powerful header into the back of the net. Moments later, Poku nearly added a second, but Atubolu reacted superbly to keep Freiburg within reach.
The visitors’ hopes of a comeback evaporated when Philipp Lienhart was sent off in the 74th minute for a second bookable offence. From then on, Leverkusen comfortably controlled proceedings, showing composure and patience to see out a deserved victory.
“It was good to win,” midfielder Jonas Hofmann told DAZN after the match. “Losing 7–2 at home is tough, but you could feel in training that we had moved on. The coach put full focus on the Bundesliga, and the team did very well today.”
Freiburg’s defeat ends their eight-match unbeaten streak across all competitions and leaves them in 11th place. For Leverkusen, it’s a timely return to form as they continue to balance domestic ambition with European competition.
