Schick scores again in Leverkusen fightback
Ibrahim Maza and Patrik Schick grabbed a goal and an assist each as Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to seal a 2-1 victory over Freiburg.
The win kept Leverkusen in touch with the Bundesliga's early frontrunners, moving it to within a point of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund and level with Freiburg.
Leverkusen went behind after 14 minutes when Philipp Treu's centre picked out an unmarked Derry Scherhant, who slid a first-time finish through Mark Flekken's legs.
But the visitor's lead did not last long as Maza restored parity just five minutes later, capping off a superb team move that involved a clever flick from Moussa Diaby and a brilliant back-heel from Schick with a powerful low effort into the bottom corner.
Schick nearly completed the turnaround in the 38th minute but failed to direct his header on target, while Keisuke Goto squandered a similar opportunity at the other end.
Scherhant twice threatened as he teed up Igor Matanovic for a pair of headers but the Freiburg striker could not test Flekken from close-range on either occasion, before Maximilian Eggestein saw a lovely left-footed strike parried at the last second by the Leverkusen goalkeeper.
Leverkusen then completed its comeback with 14 minutes to spare as Maza showcased some superb footwork down the right wing and teed up Schick, who calmly slotted past Mio Backhaus from point-blank range.
Maza nearly doubled his tally in the dying minutes, but his blasted shot was parried by Backhaus, who was then called into action moments later to keep out Schick's ambitious long-range strike.
Patrik Schick
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
