Julian Schuster and his coaching staff were forced into one change from the starting XI that had served them well in recent Bundesliga games. Keisuke Goto came in for the suspended Yuito Suzuki to make his first start for SC. Niklas Beste and Derry Scherhant were both fit again after missing the Conference League game against Jablonec through injury.

Freiburg travelled to Leverkusen looking to end a four-year wait for a win there. This time, Schuster's side arrived unbeaten, although their hosts had scored four goals in each of their previous two competitive games. Both coaches had plenty of praise for the opposition before kick-off. Schuster spoke of Leverkusen's heart and passion, while Bayer coach Carles Martinez described Freiburg as “a team in excellent form who know exactly what they want”.

Freiburg take the lead after early stoppage

With two strong attacking sides going head to head, it was Leverkusen who ultimately proved more clinical. First, though, play was halted just two minutes in after tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch from the Freiburg supporters' section. Schuster was visibly frustrated and tried to persuade the fans to stop.

Despite both sides' attacking quality, it took until the 14th minute for the first clear opening – and Freiburg made it count. Philipp Treu started a slick move, received the ball back from Beste and squared for Scherhant, who was unmarked in the box and fired SC ahead.

Just as Freiburg had scored with their first opportunity, Leverkusen also made their first chance count, drawing level in the 19th minute. A long ball into Freiburg's half and a mix-up between Matthias Ginter and Jordy Makengo allowed the hosts to combine with a series of first-time passes, with Ibrahim Maza finishing the move to make it 1-1.

At that stage, the scoreline reflected the balance of play, although Leverkusen looked to build on their equaliser and turn up the pressure. Freiburg quickly regained their shape, however, and neither attack was able to make much headway, with both sides defending well.

Schick misses a golden opportunity

The second half began with no changes from either team, plenty of hard-fought challenges and a chance for the hosts. Facundo Medina tried his luck from outside the box, but sent his effort wide. Maximilian Eggestein had a go from distance at the other end, also without success (54’).

Freiburg were then let off the hook when Patrik Schick missed a golden opportunity in the 59th minute. The striker, who had scored in each of his previous five Bundesliga games, put his effort inches wide from around the penalty spot.

The contest remained finely balanced after the restart, with neither team able to establish a foothold in the opposition half. That changed in the 76th minute when Maza, who had scored the equaliser, held off three Freiburg players by the byline before teeing up Schick, who made no mistake to score for the sixth consecutive Bundesliga match and complete the turnaround.

Backhaus produces excellent save

Freiburg introduced Cyriaque Irié and Patrick Osterhage, and Irié looked to make an immediate impact with a promising solo run just two minutes after coming on. However, the final product was lacking accuracy. At the other end, Backhaus produced an excellent save to deny Maza from around 12 yards. Leverkusen had gained a slight upper hand in the second half. “We had the game pretty well under control, but we were just missing that little bit extra in the second half,” Beste reflected after the final whistle.

Having been substituted, he watched from the bench as Lucas Höler went close to equalising in the final minute. Ginter had pushed forward down the right and delivered an excellent cross for the striker, whose header flew narrowly wide of the post. It proved to be the final action of the game. “A point here would have been a fair result. We didn't need to lose this game, but both goals we conceded were avoidable, which is frustrating. The team played really well, particularly in the first half. It came down to small details today,” Schuster reflected.

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