Leverkusen beats Freiburg in the Bundesliga to bounce back from 7-2 PSG loss
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Ernest Poku continued his strong goalscoring form as Bayer Leverkusen bounced back from its heavy loss to Paris Saint-Germain to beat Freiburg 2-0 in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
In its first game since a 7-2 loss to PSG ended Kasper Hjulmand’s unbeaten start as coach, Leverkusen looked a very different team, ending an eight-game unbeaten run for Freiburg in all competitions.
Ernest Poku scored the opening goal off a slick one-two with Aleix Garcia that allowed him to run onto the ball on the edge of the area and shoot with power.
That took speedy Dutch midfielder Poku to three goals and an assist in his last four Bundesliga games as he settles in following a turbulent start to his time at Leverkusen. Poku signed in August as part of Leverkusen’s rebuild under Dutch coach Erik ten Hag, who was fired less than three weeks later.
Defender Edmond Tapsoba, one of the few players left from Leverkusen’s 2023-24 title-winning season under Xabi Alonso, doubled the lead with a towering header in the 52nd. Philipp Lienhart’s sending-off for a second yellow card all but ended Freiburg’s hopes of a comeback.
There was another boost for Leverkusen as Czech striker Patrik Schick came off the bench for his first game in a month after a thigh injury.
Later Sunday, Stuttgart can rise to third in the table with a win over struggling Mainz. The two teams meet again on Wednesday as Mainz hosts Stuttgart in the second round of the German Cup.
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