Leverkusen retake lead in Bundesliga with win over resilient Freiburg

　　Granit Xhaka (R) of Bayer 04 Leverkusen vies with Nicolas Hoefler of SC Freiburg during the first division of Bundesliga 9th round match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg, in Leverkusen, Germany, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Ulrich Hufnagel/Xinhua)

　　BERLIN, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Bayer Leverkusen clinched its overall eighth consecutive victory by edging past Freiburg 2-1, thanks to goals from Florian Wirtz and Jonas Hofmann in the ninth round of the Bundesliga on Sunday.

　　The Werkself seized control from the outset and dominated possession against Freiburg, who positioned all its men behind the ball.

　　Leverkusen dictated the game but couldn't breach Freiburg's well-organized defense.

　　The hosts finally broke through Freiburg's defense, marking the opener at 36 minutes when Florian Wirtz concluded a solo run from close range into the far post bottom corner.

　　Despite the deficit, Freiburg continued to defend deeply after the restart, while Leverkusen squandered a chance to double their lead as goalkeeper Noah Atubolu parried Wirtz's attempt from the edge of the box in the 50th minute.

　　However, Atubolu was left helpless ten minutes later when Hofmann's low shot ricocheted off the right post and then off the goalkeeper's back into the goal at the hour mark.

　　Leverkusen kept pressing and nearly tripled their lead, but Granit Xhaka's on-target attempt only rattled the woodwork six minutes later.

　　Unexpectedly, Freiburg halved the deficit in the 70th minute when Manuel Gulde nodded home Vincenzo Grifo's free kick into the area.

　　The visitors ramped up the pressure for another goal, but Leverkusen held firm and secured their eighth win of the season.

　　With this victory, undefeated Leverkusen reclaimed the top spot in the table, while Freiburg remained in the 8th place.

　　"We are super happy with the three points. These are the games where you must work hard for the win. It is never easy to play against Freiburg just because of that we are very happy with the three points," said Leverkusen veteran Hofmann.

　　In other action, Borussia Dortmund retained their position in the Bundesliga's top four after carving out a 3-3 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt. The BVB rallied back from two goals down before Frankfurt reclaimed a 3-2 lead through Fares Chaibi. However, the visitors had the last laugh as Julian Brandt's 3-3 equalizer ensured Dortmund a point on the road.

　　"I have very mixed feelings. In the end, we can't complain that the game ended in a stalemate. I am satisfied with the fighting attitude and that we managed to come back twice," said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. ■

　　Manuel Gulde (2nd R, front) of SC Freiburg scores during the first division of Bundesliga 9th round match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg, in Leverkusen, Germany, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Ulrich Hufnagel/Xinhua)

　　Florian Wirtz (R) of Bayer 04 Leverkusen vies with Ritsu Doan of SC Freiburg during the first division of Bundesliga 9th round match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and SC Freiburg, in Leverkusen, Germany, Oct. 29, 2023. (Photo by Ulrich Hufnagel/Xinhua)