Driven by Ibrahim Maza, scorer then provider, Bayer Leverkusen beat SC Freiburg 2-1 at the BayArena on matchday 6 to join their opponents in the Bundesliga table.
The BayArena witnessed a turnaround authored by Ibrahim Maza. Having trailed since the 14th minute against SC Freiburg, unbeaten Bundesliga leaders until then, Bayer Leverkusen found in their Algerian attacking midfielder the architect of the comeback this Sunday, 18 October 2026, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Algeria international first equalised in the 19th minute, or the 20th according to some sources, with a strike with the outside of his right boot after a lay-off from striker Patrik Schick. Then, in the 76th minute, he beat two opponents before setting up Schick for the winning goal.
Scherhant had opened the scoring
Freiburg did not wait to impose their status as leaders. As early as the 14th minute, striker Derry Scherhant opened the scoring from a pass by defender Philipp Treu, again according to AFP.
The home response was not long in coming. From a Patrik Schick lay-off, Ibrahim Maza unleashed a strike with the outside of his right boot that brought the two teams level, wiping out the visitors’ advantage.
The second half swung in the 76th minute, through an individual run by the attacking midfielder, who beat two defenders before his assist.
Schick on a run, Maza full of confidence
Patrik Schick scored for the sixth consecutive time this season in the league, according to AFP. Involved in both of his team’s goals, he laid the ball off to Maza before converting the latter’s pass.
For Ibrahim Maza, this goal is his third in all competitions this season with Bayer Leverkusen, La Gazette du Fennec reports. He had already scored last Thursday in the Europa League group stage, in the 4-0 win against Lech Poznań.
The context gave this performance particular resonance: Germany head coach Jürgen Klopp watched the match from the stands of the BayArena, AFP noted.
A tight race at the top
This win takes Bayer Leverkusen to 13 points and level with Freiburg in the Bundesliga table, according to AFP. The defeat drops the Breisgau club from 1st to 3rd place.
Bayern Munich took advantage of the matchday to return to the top with 14 points, after their 6-1 win against Leipzig, again according to AFP.
Leverkusen’s next Bundesliga match will be on matchday 7, the following weekend.