Leverkusen Beat Cologne 2-1 in Rhine Derby as Schick Strikes Late

Bayer Leverkusen won the Rhine derby on Sunday, beating 1. FC Cologne 2-1 at the RheinEnergieStadion on Bundesliga Matchday 9. Aleix Garcia put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute, Patrik Schick doubled the lead in the 86th, and Said El Mala pulled one back for Cologne in the third minute of stoppage time, too late to change the result.

Garcia strikes first

Leverkusen led almost from the start. In the seventh minute Garcia won the moment with a free kick from around 20 yards, curling the ball into the top left corner past goalkeeper Marvin Schwabe. It was the goal the away side's start deserved, and it held up as the only goal of the first half.

Cologne nearly answered four minutes later. In the 11th minute Borna Sosa crossed to Sebastian Sebulonsen at the back post, but his shot went straight at Mark Flekken, who saved with his legs. The hosts pressed without finding the finish, and the teams went in at half time with Leverkusen 1-0 up.

A disallowed goal, then the winner

The derby stayed in the balance until the closing minutes, and Schick lived the whole ending inside three minutes. In the 83rd minute he had a goal disallowed for a handball infringement. In the 86th he scored for real, found inside the area by Ibrahim Maza and slotting the ball into the far corner to make it 2-0.

The Bundesliga liveticker noted that the goal was Schick's eighth in nine Bundesliga games this season, and that it leaves him two short of 100 Bundesliga goals. Maza was credited with the assist, and the match statistics confirmed the three scorers on the day: Garcia and Schick for Leverkusen, El Mala for Cologne.

A late reply, and not enough time

Cologne still found a goal. In the third minute of stoppage time Said El Mala drilled the ball beyond Flekken from a cross by his brother Malek El Mala, cutting the lead to 2-1. The home crowd got its roar, but the clock was gone, and Leverkusen closed out the derby win.

Garcia's opening goal earned him the individual honour as well. He was voted Man of the Match on the Bundesliga match page with 32 percent of the vote, a fitting return for the free kick that set the derby's course in the seventh minute.