Schick Scores Twice as Bayer Leverkusen Defeats Cologne to Climb into Bundesliga Top Five

Leverkusen appeared to be still feeling the effects of their midweek DFB-Pokal semi-final loss to Bayern Munich, as they started sluggishly and were fortunate not to concede several times within the first 10 minutes.

Said El Mala and Jakub Kaminski both fired shots just wide after catching Die Werkself off guard in possession, while El Mala forced Janis Blaswich into a save with a curling attempt aimed for the far corner.

Cologne’s defence was then caught out when Eric Martel’s wayward square pass was intercepted by Schick, but the Czech forward was denied by the post with his strike.

Blaswich was called into action once more, successfully repelling shots from both El Mala and Martel, and then another careless backpass provided El Mala with an opportunity to round Blaswich; however, the striker could only hit the post from a tight angle with the goal at his mercy.

These missed chances came back to haunt Cologne before the half-time whistle, when Martel was controversially penalised for handball just inside the area, allowing Leverkusen to take the lead from the penalty spot.

Schick stepped up and converted, beating Marvin Schwabe despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the shot, marking the striker’s sixth goal in eight encounters against Die Geißbocke.

This was a harsh setback for Cologne, who had been the dominant side for significant stretches of the first half, but their inability to finish continued to plague them after the interval.

A promising attack saw Linton Maina set up El Mala in the box, but once again, Blaswich stood firm to deny the German, launching a counterattack that would see the visitors extend their lead.

Aleix Garcia played Nathan Tella down the left flank, and his cross was deftly slotted home at the back post by Schick, bringing his tally to six goals in five Bundesliga matches.

It seemed an uphill battle for Cologne from that point, but substitute Luca Waldschmidt made inroads by scoring after Leverkusen struggled to contain El Mala’s run, reducing the deficit.

The atmosphere within the stadium changed dramatically, yet the hosts could not muster enough quality in their final third to grab an equaliser, with Edmond Tapsoba making a crucial goalline clearance to secure the win for Leverkusen, who remain unbeaten in their last five Bundesliga away fixtures.

Despite suffering their first defeat under Rene Wagner, Cologne still find themselves five points clear of the relegation zone, even after an eighth loss in eleven encounters with their rivals.