Patrik Schick, the first Bayer 04 player to score 4 goals in a Bundesliga match, was suitably happy: "I didn't have a real chance in the first half but in the second it was like opening a ketchup bottle. You open it and everything comes out at once."
Bayer 04 coach Gerardo Seoane kept faith with the eleven players who started in last Sunday’s 3-1 win at Leipzig. There was one change on the bench: Karim Bellarabi returned to the Werkself squad for the first time since his injury in the derby at FC Köln on 24 October.
Seoane required his players to be ambitious in build-up play and shift sides quickly in the clash with Fürth to deny the opponents the chance to get into the game. And the hosts started as you could expect from a team coming off the back of four wins and a draw in the last five games: dominant and on the front foot. However, it was the Cloverleaves who had the first shot on goal: The effort from Dickson Abiama from 20 yards out following a Leverkusen mistake in the build-up went well wide of Lukas Hradecky's goal (4').
The visitors did not sit back and tried to frustrate Leverkusen high up the pitch. But the Werkself were clinical in their first attack: Jeremie Frimpong put Moussa Diaby through down the right and his cross with his right foot was skilfully volleyed into the net at the far post by Amine Adli to make it 1-0 on 12 minutes. It was the second goal of the season for the Frenchman who previously scored early in the home game against Bochum.
Shortly after that, the ball was in the net at the other end after Branimir Hrgota hit a free kick against the post and Maximilian Bauer put the rebound into the goal (14'). However, the assistant referee immediately raised his flag and the decision was confirmed by VAR – the score remained 1-0. But only for two minutes as Edmond Tapsoba turned a free kick from Florian Wirtz in at the far post with his head- 2-0 (17'). The Werkself were proving to be extremely effective.
But it said a lot about Fürth’s ability to take blows that they did not let their heads drop but continued to press forward in search of goalscoring opportunities. With success: After an attack down the left flank and a cross from Jamie Leweling, Dudziak found the back of the net with the help of the inside of the post (33'). The next chance for the hosts resulted from a misplaced back pass from Sebastian Griesbeck to his keeper Marius Funk that Schick almost intercepted – but the ball flew well wide of the empty Fürth net from a block tackle (40'). Hradecky safely held on to a low shot from Hrgota shortly after that. The Werkself then struck for a third time just before the break: Schick crossed the ball from the left to Piero Hincapie and the Ecuadorian hit his shot into the far corner of the net to make it 3-1 (45') – that remained the score at half-time.
It only took 30 seconds at the start of the second half before Bayer 04 had the next promising chance: Frimpong danced down the right and crossed to Adli but Funk was just able to get his fingertips the ball to turn it away for a corner (46'). Minutes later the ball was in the back of the Fürth net again: A cross from the left by Hincapie was easily converted by the unmarked Schick to put the Werkself 4-1 (49') – the ninth goal of the season for the Czech Republic international.
The Werkself really upped the tempo above all down the right-hand side and, as usual, the agile Frimpong again and again pressed down on Funk and Fürth. Seoane made a triple substitution on the hour mark: Kerem Demirbay, Charles Aránguiz and Bellarabi replaced Robert Andrich, Exequiel Palacios and Adli (61'). After Demirbay foiled a Fürth attack in his own penalty area, a quick counter-attack ensued that ended with Diaby setting up Schick for his tenth goal of the season – 5-1 (69'). And the centre forward was hungry for more. First, he reacted instantly when Bellarabi hit the bar to head home the sixth goal (74') and then he scored from an excellent pass from Wirtz to make it 7-1 (76'). Four goals in 27 minutes, the second fastest ever in the Bundesliga. He was rewarded with a standing ovation when he was replaced by Lucas Alario on 80 minutes.
For the ambitious Leverkusen players it was now like an exhibition performance. Bellarabi hit the inside of the post (81') – and the fans celebrated the biggest Bundesliga home win of all times for the Werkself with an exuberant reception of the winners after the final whistle.
Bayer 04 now have the first of two double fixed weeks. On Thursday, 9 December, there is the final group match in the UEFA Europa League away to Ferencváros (kick-off: 21.00 CET). That is followed on Sunday, 12 December by an away match in the Bundesliga at Eintracht Frankfurt (kick-off: 17.30 CET).
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Frimpong (Kossounou 80'), Tah, Tapsoba, Hincapie – Andrich (Demirbay 61'), Palacios (Aránguiz 61') – Diaby, Wirtz, Adli (Bellarabi 61') – Schick (Alario 80’)
Greuther Fürth: Funk – Barry (Asta 77'), Griesbeck, Bauer, Willems (Meyerhöfer 60' ) – Tillman, Christiansen (Seufert 77'), Dudziak (Seguin 58’) – Leweling (Nielsen 60'), Abiama, Hrgota
Goals: 1-0 Adli (12’), 2-0 Tapsoba (21’), 2-1 Dudziak (33’), 3-1 Hincapie (45’), 4-1 Schick (49’), 5-1 Schick (69’), 6-1 Schick (74’), 7-1 Schick (76’)
Booked: Leweling
Referee: Tobias Reichel (Stuttgart)
Attendance: 10,400
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