NEWS
Leverkusen win heated local derby against Köln
In a very evenly matched contest, Leverkusen prevail to return to winning ways.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen secured an important 2-1 victory over 1. FC Köln in the local derby on matchday nine of the German Bundesliga.
Leverkusen started strong and took the lead as early as the seventh minute through a goal from Aleix Garcia (7'). The Spaniard beautifully curled a free-kick into the top left corner.
The match became more balanced after that, with both Köln and Leverkusen creating chances. Early in the second half, Köln appealed for a penalty when Moore was brought down by Medina, but after a brief VAR check, play continued without a spot-kick.
El Mala strikes too late
The derby grew increasingly heated, but Leverkusen did well to keep Köln away from their goal. Patrik Schick then made it 2-0 in the 85th minute for what looked to be the deciding goal.
In stoppage time, Said El Mala pulled one back following an assist from his brother (90+2'), but time ran out for Köln. Leverkusen thus won a heated derby—which produced eleven yellow cards in total—to bounce back after two consecutive defeats.
The result moves Leverkusen up to fifth place with 16 points, while Köln remain on nine points, slipping to 15th in the table.
