Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen notched up a fourth-consecutive Bundesliga win under coach Kasper Hjulmand, with the Werkself seeing off the 10 men of Freiburg thanks to goals from Ernest Poku and Edmond Tapsoba.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 FreiburgGoals: 1-0 Poku 22’ (assist: Garcia) 2-0 Tapsoba 52’ (assist: Grimaldo)Red card: Lienhart 74'
The hosts needed a response after suffering a heavy 7-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, and they delivered exactly that against Freiburg at the BayArena.
Aware of their status as the third-highest scorers in the Bundesliga prior to this encounter, Bayer 04 were keen to test that firepower against a Freiburg side who were unbeaten in five previous league games and buoyed by Thursday's UEFA Europa League win over Utrecht.
The visitors started confidently with Derry Scherhant testing Mark Flekken early on, cutting inside from the left before firing a shot that the Leverkusen goalkeeper saved.
Junior Adamu also came close after intercepting a loose pass from Ezequiel Fernández, but again ex-Freiburg man Flekken was equal to the effort.
Leverkusen gradually grew into the game, with Alejandro Grimaldo testing Noah Atubolu from a free-kick after Philipp Lienhart's foul had earned him the first of what would eventually be two yellow cards.
The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Poku played a clever one-two with Aleix García before curling a superb right-footed shot beyond Atubolu from outside the box.
Leverkusen emerged for the second half even more determined and they quickly doubled their advantage. Tapsoba rose highest to meet Grimaldo's precise corner in the 52nd minute, powering a header past Atubolu from close range.
The home side could have extended their lead further when García found Poku with an excellent long pass, but Atubolu saved well before Arthur fired the rebound wide.
Freiburg's task became even harder in the 74th minute when Lienhart committed a late challenge on substitute Ibrahim Maza and received his second yellow. With the numerical advantage, Leverkusen controlled possession for the remainder of the match as they maintained their unbeaten domestic record since Hjulmand took charge.
Grimaldo was at the heart of Leverkusen's best moments throughout the game. The Spanish defender delivered the precise corner that led to Tapsoba's goal and constantly threatened from set pieces, forcing Atubolu into a fine save with a free-kick in the first half.
Despite being the most pressed player in the match – facing pressure 25 times, according to the statistics – he remained composed and influential. He covered 12 kilometers, the highest distance of any Leverkusen player, and earned the highest Fantasy points total (389) of any player on the pitch.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Leverkusen 2.42 - Freiburg 0.54
Fastest player: Arthur (Leverkusen), 34.47 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Poku (Leverkusen), five percent
Most pressed player: Grimaldo (Leverkusen), 25 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Aleix García (Leverkusen), +5.17
Fantasy Heroes: Grimaldo (Leverkusen, 389 Points), Tapsoba (Leverkusen, 353 Points), García (Leverkusen, 308 Points)