Bayer Leverkusen edge SC Freiburg 2-1 as Patrik Schick and Ibrahim Maza trade goals and assists

Two of the Bundesliga's best early-season sides met at the BayArena, and it was Bayer Leverkusen who came out on top, turning around an early deficit to beat SC Freiburg 2-1 on matchday 6. Derry Scherhant had given the visitors a 14th-minute lead, but goals either side of the hour from Ibrahim Maza and Patrik Schick — each one teed up by the other — settled it in the home side's favour.

Scherhant strikes, then Maza and Schick swap roles

• 14' — Derry Scherhant (SC Freiburg), assisted by Philipp Treu
• 19' — Ibrahim Maza (Bayer Leverkusen), assisted by Patrik Schick
• 76' — Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen), assisted by Ibrahim Maza

Freiburg's opener came from exactly the kind of quick break that has made them so hard to beat this season: Philipp Treu freed Scherhant down the left and the forward finished calmly. Leverkusen needed only five minutes to respond, Schick picking out Maza for the equaliser, and the same two combined again midway through the second half — this time Maza returning the favour to send Schick clear for the winner. It was Schick's sixth involvement in a Leverkusen goal across his last two Bundesliga appearances.

Match stats

Line-ups

• Bayer Leverkusen (4-2-3-1): Mark Flekken — Facundo Medina, Edmond Tapsoba, Miguel Gutiérrez, Jarell Quansah — Ezequiel Fernández, Aleix García — Ibrahim Maza, Afonso Moreira, Moussa Diaby — Patrik Schick. Subs used: Jonas Hofmann, Malik Tillman, Nathan Tella
• SC Freiburg (4-2-3-1): Mio Backhaus — Philipp Lienhart, Matthias Ginter, Jordy Makengo, Philipp Treu — Keisuke Goto, Yannick Engelhardt — Maximilian Eggestein, Derry Scherhant, Niklas Beste — Igor Matanovic. Subs used: Lucas Höler, Patrick Osterhage, Vincenzo Grifo, Lukas Kübler, Cyriaque Irié

Two of the division's in-form sides

Both clubs went into matchday 6 unbeaten in four of their last five. Leverkusen had won three and drawn one across that run, including a 4-3 away win at Mainz last time out, while Freiburg had won four of their last five and arrived in Leverkusen on the back of four straight wins. The result stops that Freiburg run, but barely dents the position behind it — this was the two closest challengers to the league's unbeaten pair, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, meeting head-on.

What's next

The win takes Leverkusen level with Freiburg on 13 points, with Freiburg's superior goal difference (+9 to +7) keeping them 3rd and Leverkusen 4th — both still well placed inside the Champions League places as the division's two unbeaten leaders, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, pull away at 14 points apiece. Freiburg's run of four straight wins is over, but a two-goal margin is all that separates the sides with the top of the table still in sight for both.