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Leon Bailey (right) celebrates his goal to make it 1-0
Photo:
Mika Volkmann / imago images / Mika Volkmann
Bayer Leverkusen are the new Bundesliga leaders.
With a 4-1 (2-0) win against TSG Hoffenheim, the Leverkusen-based team overtook the previous leaders Bayern Munich.
Leon Bailey made a comfortable half-time lead with a brace (4th minute, 27th).
After Christoph Baumgartner's (50th) goal, 17-year-old Florian Wirtz (55th) scored, Lucas Alario scored the final score (90th + 2) with a penalty.
From the start it was a promising game, after just 14 seconds Hoffenheim's Florian Grillitsch missed with his head from close range.
A few minutes later, keeper Oliver Baumann saved on the other side after Havard Nordtveit and Kevin Voigt had shot his teammate and the ball bounced towards the right corner (4th).
Leverkusen used the following corner to lead;
briefly executed, Bailey put the ball in front of the edge of the box and curled it into the left corner (4th).
After the early chance, Hoffenheim only played again after the initial phase.
After a corner, however, Ihlas Bebou missed the pass to the teammate in the penalty area and instead put the ball clearly next to the goal with a heel trick (24th).
Hoffenheim almost got the receipt in return: Bailey sprinted into a back pass from Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramaric from the opposing half towards Baumann.
The Leverkusen man curved around the goalkeeper and pushed in from around 30 meters (27th).
As a result, Hoffenheim came into play better and better - and the connection goal: Because Baumgartner was not attacked on his way to the penalty area, he flicked the ball into the right angle (50th).
Hoffenheim suddenly seemed on the way to equalize.
Until Leverkusen's Patrik Schick put a heel to Wirtz in the Hoffenheim penalty area and the 17-year-old lightly dribbled out both Diadié Samassékou and Voigt and gave Baumann no chance with a lob (55th).
Then it got really bitter for the Hoffenheim team.
First Grillitsch saw yellow-red for a controversial foul (64th), then Stefan Posch for deliberate handball (79th).
With nine men, Hoffenheim could no longer turn the game around.
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