Bayer Leverkusen closed the gap on Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to four points with a dominant 5-1 win over Freiburg on Saturday, featuring a stunning four-goal performance by Patrik Schick.
The weekend’s matches were overshadowed by a tragic car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg on Friday, which left five people dead and more than 200 injured. Teams and fans observed a minute’s silence and wore black armbands in tribute to the victims.
Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, were determined to reduce Bayern’s lead heading into the winter break. Despite Florian Wirtz missing a penalty in the 33rd minute, Schick opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time after a precise assist from Wirtz.
Wirtz atoned for his missed penalty early in the second half with a powerful strike to double Leverkusen’s lead. Freiburg briefly fought back through Vincenzo Grifo, who capitalised on a defensive error to make it 2-1.
However, Schick restored Leverkusen’s advantage with a header and added two more goals—both assisted by Wirtz—to complete his four-goal haul. The victory keeps Leverkusen firmly in second place, trailing Bayern, who thrashed RB Leipzig 5-1 on Friday night.
Eintracht Frankfurt fell 3-1 to Mainz in a match defined by one of the most bizarre own goals of the season. Frankfurt reserve goalkeeper Kaua Santos passed to Ellyes Skhiri under pressure, only for Skhiri to lob the ball back over Santos’ head and into the net off the crossbar.
Despite being reduced to 10 men in the 21st minute after captain Nadiem Amiri’s straight red card for a reckless challenge, Mainz scored two more goals through Paul Nebel, aided by deflections and goalkeeping errors.
Frankfurt’s Danish defender Rasmus Kristensen scored a late consolation, but the defeat leaves them third, nine points adrift of Bayern and five behind Leverkusen. Mainz, meanwhile, continue their impressive form, with wins over Bayern and Dortmund in recent weeks.
Stuttgart’s five-game unbeaten streak ended with a 1-0 loss to St Pauli, who climbed to 14th place thanks to Johannes Eggestein’s early goal.