BERLIN — Patrik Schick demonstrated Bayer Leverkusen’s need for his skills by netting a goal in a 2-0 victory over Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga on Saturday, following a lackluster performance against Bayern Munich the previous week.
Schick, who was surprisingly benched by Leverkusen’s coach, Xabi Alonso, during the critical match against Bayern, quickly made an impact in the ninth minute against Kiel. Amine Adli skillfully maneuvered past two defenders to assist Schick, marking his 15th goal of the season in the league.
Alonso’s decision to leave Schick on the sidelines until the final minutes of the match against Bayern raised questions. Leverkusen had controlled the game but failed to score, and both Schick and fellow striker Victor Boniface remained unused substitutes as the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate, leaving Bayern eight points ahead in the standings with 12 matches still remaining.
In Kiel, Florian Wirtz was instrumental in extending Leverkusen’s lead, setting up Adli for the second goal just before halftime. This win allowed Leverkusen to close the gap to five points behind Bayern, who will face Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Looking ahead, Leverkusen will encounter Bayern once more in two matches of the Champions League round of 16 on March 5 and 11, marking their fourth and fifth meetings of the season.
In other Bundesliga action, Alexis Claude-Maurice made headlines by scoring a hat trick for Augsburg, leading them to a 3-0 victory against Borussia Mönchengladbach in an away match.
The French midfielder capitalized on a chaotic moment in the match when Gladbach’s goalkeeper, Jonas Omlin, was sent off after fouling Fredrik Jensen, who was in a prime scoring position following a poor backpass from Nico Elvedi. The foul warranted a red card issued in the 29th minute by referee Florian Exner.
Additionally, Mainz secured a 2-0 win over St. Pauli at home, while Bochum managed to draw 1-1 with Wolfsburg, providing them a reprieve from direct relegation threats.
Borussia Dortmund was set to play Union Berlin later, seeking its first league victory under new manager Niko Kova?, who had started his tenure with two losses.
