Patrik Schick scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen beat Cologne 2-1 in the Bundesliga derby to climb into the top five.
Bayer Leverkusen climbed into the Bundesliga’s top five after securing a hard-fought 2-1 derby win away to Cologne at the RheinEnergieStadion.
DERBYSIEGER! DERBYSIEGER! HEY! HEY! 🖤❤️
90+6′ | 1-2 | #KOEB04 pic.twitter.com/Urt956CWFP
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) April 25, 2026
Still recovering from their midweek DFB-Pokal semi-final defeat to Bayern Munich, Leverkusen looked unsettled early on and were fortunate not to fall behind during a chaotic opening spell.
Cologne pressed aggressively and created several promising opportunities, with Said El Mala, Jakub Kaminski, and Eric Martel all going close as Leverkusen repeatedly gave the ball away in dangerous areas.
The hosts’ inability to capitalize would come back to haunt them. After weathering the early storm, Leverkusen gradually settled and nearly struck when Patrik Schick intercepted a loose pass but saw his effort hit the post.
Cologne continued to threaten but wasted another golden opening when El Mala rounded goalkeeper Janis Blaswich only to hit the upright from a tight angle with the goal at his mercy. That missed chance proved especially costly just before halftime when Leverkusen were awarded a penalty for handball inside the box. Schick stepped up and squeezed his effort past Marvin Schwabe to hand the visitors the lead.
Leverkusen struck again after the restart through a swift counterattack, as Nathan Tella’s delivery found Schick at the back post for the striker to tap home his second of the afternoon.
Luca Waldschmidt pulled one back for Cologne to set up a tense finale, but Leverkusen held firm, with Edmond Tapsoba making a crucial late clearance to preserve all three points and strengthen Die Werkself’s push for European qualification.
