Bayer Leverkusen concluded their friendly match at Lech Poznan with a clear 4-0 victory. Patrik Schick scored two penalties, with Malik Tillman and Ibrahim Maza adding the other goals.
The win comes at an opportune time as Die Werkself prepare for a key Bundesliga clash at home to league leaders SC Freiburg on Sunday. Leverkusen currently sit fourth in the table with ten points, presenting a chance to close the gap at the top. Under coach Carles Martínez, the team is in strong form, having taken four wins and a draw from their last five competitive matches.
The Match
The game took an early turn when Martin Terrier had to be substituted due to injury in the 18th minute. His replacement, Patrik Schick, promptly made an impact. The Czech striker converted a penalty in the 29th minute after the video assistant referee spotted a handball by Terry Yegbe. Just three minutes later, Malik Tillman made it 2-0. Schick added another before the break, scoring from the spot again in the 41st minute after being brought down by Mateusz Skrzypczak. Ibrahim Maza rounded off the scoring in the 89th minute, assisted by Afonso Moreira, for the 4-0 final score.
Patrik Schick commented after the match, saying, "Things are going well for the 30-year-old. Came on surprisingly early and delivered straight away with two penalty goals." The striker now has eight goals in eight competitive appearances this season, five of them in the Bundesliga. Manager Carles Martínez expressed his sadness over Terrier's injury. "We are sad, we suffer with Martin. Everyone loves him because he is a wonderful guy. We have to wait and see what happened," Martínez said.
Looking Ahead to Freiburg
Buoyed by this result, Leverkusen now turn their attention to the important home fixture on Sunday at 15:30. Opponents SC Freiburg lead the table by three points. Recent meetings between the two sides have been high-scoring, with the last encounter in March ending 3-3. Leverkusen will hope to carry the positive momentum from Poznan and extend their current four-game winning streak. The team returned after the match on a special flight and were celebrated by around 1,000 travelling fans.
Further reading: ksta.de
