BERLIN: Patrik Schick showed Bayer Leverkusen what it was missing against Bayern Munich last week by scoring in a 2-0 win at Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Schick, who was omitted by Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso in the top-of-the-table clash with Bayern, got Leverkusen off the mark in the ninth minute in Kiel after Amine Adli did well against two Kiel defenders to set him up. It was Schick’s 15th league goal of the season.
Alonso’s decision to only send Schick on late in stoppage time against Bayern raised eyebrows as his team had dominated without scoring for the previous 90 minutes and more with both Schick and fellow striker Victor Boniface watching from the substitutes’ bench.
That 0-0 draw kept Bayern eight points clear with 12 rounds left to play.
Florian Wirtz played Adli in to make it 2-0 before the break in Kiel, where Leverkusen’s win narrowed the gap to five points before Bayern host Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Leverkusen face Bayern again over two games in the last 16 of the Champions League on March 5 and 11. They will be the fourth and fifth meetings between the teams this season.
Also Saturday, Alexis Claude-Maurice scored a hat trick for Augsburg to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-0 away.
The French midfielder scored all his goals after Gladbach goalkeeper Jonas Omlin was sent off for taking down Fredrik Jensen, who was put through on goal by a botched backpass from Nico Elvedi. It was a clear goal chance, and referee Florian Exner had no option but to show Omlin the red card in the 29th.
Mainz defeated St. Pauli 2-0 at home, and Bochum drew at Wolfsburg 1-1 to climb out of a direct relegation place.
Borussia Dortmund WERE hosting Union Berlin later, with the home team looking for their first Bundesliga win under new coach Niko Kovač, who started with two defeats.
Patrik Schick scores for Leverkusen to send his coach Xabi Alonso a message before Bayern games
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Patrik Schick scores for Leverkusen to send his coach Xabi Alonso a message before Bayern games
- It was Schick’s 15th league goal of the season
- Florian Wirtz played Adli in to make it 2-0 before the break in Kiel
Real Sociedad end Barca winning streak to tighten Liga title race
- The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table
SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain: Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defense ambitions as Goncalo Guedes gave them a surprise 2-1 La Liga victory on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches.
The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.
Hosts Real Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on to triumph and climb up to eighth.
“I think we deserved to win today, we had a lot of chances, but in the end you have to put them away,” Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong told DAZN.
“We played well but we didn’t win... their goalkeeper had a very good game.”
Sociedad shot-stopper Alex Remiro made several crucial saves.
“Three great points and a great game,” said Remiro.
“We’ve started this year in great form... this is the energy we have, how we’ve changed (recently).”
In a frantic start to a compelling game at the rainy Reale Arena, both teams had goals ruled out.
La Real had the ball in the net inside 30 seconds when Mikel Oyarzabal headed home Guedes’s cross, but had strayed offside.
At the other end, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez drilled home from range but Dani Olmo had committed a foul in the build-up and it was ruled out.
With teenage winger Lamine Yamal keen to take on defenders, Barca got in often down the right flank. The 18-year-old teed up Olmo who fired high over the bar when he might have sent the Catalans ahead.
Yamal found the net himself but the goal was ruled out for an extremely tight offside, before Real Sociedad took the lead against the run of play.
Oyarzabal lashed home Guedes’s cross with a blistering volley inside Joan Garcia’s near post.
Yamal was felled just inside the area before half-time but although the referee pointed to the spot, a VAR review showed that the youngster was offside again and it was canceled out.
Remiro heroics
Barcelona turned up the pressure in the second half and Real Sociedad were left depending on Remiro and the frame of the goal to keep the Catalans at bay.
Olmo crashed a shot against the post from Lopez’s cross and then Remiro denied the Barca midfielder with a fine near-post save.
Remiro then tipped substitute Robert Lewandowski’s header against the crossbar with the save of the night.
Another Barca substitute, Marcus Rashford, eventually pulled the champions level, heading Yamal’s cross home after 70 minutes.
However, the hosts immediately regained their advantage after Barca goalkeeper Garcia initially saved Carlos Soler’s shot. The midfielder was able to gather the rebound and cross for Guedes, who fired La Real ahead again.
They should have got a third when Garcia, out of his goal, had no chance of saving Oyarzabal’s effort but Pau Cubarsi headed the ball off the line.
Barcelona came within centimeters of an equalizer when Joao Cancelo, on his second debut for the club, crossed for Jules Kounde, who headed against the crossbar.
Soler was dismissed for an ugly foul on Pedri before nine minutes of stoppage time were added on.
Rashford hit the post directly from a corner kick as Barca pushed until the end but could not find a way through.
