LEVERKUSEN: Bayer Leverkusen found some solace at home on Sunday after a Champions League humbling by Paris St-Germain with a 2-0 defeat of Freiburg in the Bundesliga.

Dismantled 7-2 by the European champions at the same venue five days ago, Leverkusen took the lead midway through the opening half when Ernest Poku hit a low shot into the bottom right corner.

The hosts doubled up early in the second half when Edmond Tapsoba muscled through the Freiburg defence to head in an Alejandro Grimaldo cross.

The victory took the 2023-24 double winners to fourth spot in the table, two points clear of VfB Stuttgart, who host Mainz.

Leverkusen have now won four in a row in the Bundesliga as part of a seven-match domestic unbeaten run.

Coach Kasper Hjulmand, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag two games into the league season, is yet to taste defeat in the Bundesliga.

The loss was Freiburg’s first in the league since August.

These two sides played out a 2-2 draw in May but only three players who started for Leverkusen on Sunday were at the club last season.

After 22 minutes, Spain midfielder Aleix Garcia played a clever one-two with Poku to assist the latter’s opener for the hosts.

It was the eighth time in eight league games this season Leverkusen have scored first.

Tapsoba’s header seven minutes into the second half put Leverkusen on track for victory.

With 15 minutes remaining, Freiburg were reduced to 10 men when Philipp Lienhart picked up a second yellow, dashing their hopes of an unlikely comeback.

In Saturday’s late match, Borussia Dortmund scored through Maximilian Beier deep in second-half stoppage time to snatch a 1-0 victory over Cologne, their first win in three Bundesliga matches.

Beier’s shot was the lucky punch the hosts needed following a draw against RB Leipzig and last week’s defeat by leaders Bayern Munich.

The result lifted third-placed Dortmund, 4-2 winners at FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday, to 17 points, seven behind Bayern.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2025