Berlin (dpa) – Patrik Schick scored four goals and Florian Wirtz was involved in four as Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen trounced Freiburg 5-1 on Saturday to hibernate in striking distance of leaders Bayern Munich.
Wirtz had a penalty saved by Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu but then set up Schick for the first, third and fourth, and scored the second himself while Schick wrapped up matters.
Xabi Alonso’s champions ended the year with an eighth straight victories in all competitions with the statement triumph.
“We played like a top team,” Leverkusen managing director for sport Simon Rolfes told Sky TV.
Schick said: “The four goals were special but I think I can play better.”
They are second in the Bundesliga, four points behind Bayern in what promises an exciting second part of the season from January 10. Bayern also won 5-1, against RB Leipzig on Friday.
The other games
Eintracht Frankfurt and Leipzig follow five points behind Leverkusen, with Frankfurt’s recent slide continuing with a 3-1 home defeat against 10-man Mainz, with the help of a pair of howlers from goalkeeper Kaua Santos.
Mainz, who had handed Bayern their first Bundesliga defeat last weekend, rose to fifth with their fifth victory from six games.
Tied on points with Mainz are Werder Bremen, who beat Union Berlin 4-1. Borussia Mönchengladbach are another point back from a 2-1 win at lowly Hoffenheim.
Holstein Kiel routed Augsburg 5-1 for a second season win, and visiting St Pauli shocked last season’s runners-up VfB Stuttgart 1-0.
The Sunday fixtures are Bochum v Heidenheim and Wolfsburg v Dortmund.
A minute of silence was observed before the games for the victims of Friday’s Christmas market attack in Magdeburg in which five people have died and more than 200 were injured.
Leverkusen gala
Bayern had named their win over Leipzig a statement but Leverkusen now have similar bragging rights after their gala.
Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu saved Wirtz’ penalty in the 33rd minute after Ritsu Doan had tripped the young Germany star but that either deterred Wirtz nor his team-mates.
Wirtz set up Schick to lob the opening goal over Atubolu in first half stoppage time, and fired high into the net himself for 2-0 in the 51st.
Freiburg were briefly back in the game four minutes later when Leverkusen lost the ball in midfield and Vincenzo Grifo scored into the far corner.
But Schick then headed home Wirtz’ cross in the 67th, and the two connected again in the 74th. Even a hat-trick wasn’t enough for the Czech who then also nodded in Alejandro Grimaldo’s corner kick in the 77th to almost double his season tally from five to nine goals.
Wirtz was the star along with Schick who said that “without Florian we don’t play that good. He is very important. He is amazing and gave me perfect balls.”
Freiburg forward Michael Gregoritsch said in utter admiration that “Germany and Leverkusen are blessed with a player like this.”
Mainz win again
Santos stood in for ill Kevin Trapp and his day to forget started early when he played a pass to Ellyes Skhiri who, under pressure, played the ball back which looped over Santos. The keeper deflected it against the crossbar from where it went in off his elbow.
Rasmus Kristensen hit the bar as Frankfurt pressed for the equalizer, and things looked grim for Mainz when captain Nadiem Amiri was dismissed for the second time in the season over a reckless challenge inn the 21st.
But Frankfurt were wasteful while Mainz were lucky again when Paul Nebel’s shot took a huge deflection off Robin Koch for 2-0 in the 27th.
Another bad pass from Santos set up Nebel’s second goal in the 58th and Frankfurt were unable to stage a comeback after Kristensen finally found the net with 15 minutes left.
“We had to fight and we were certainly a little lucky. But we also showed morale with 10 men,” Mainz sporting director Niko Bungert said.
