Leverkusen beat Leipzig to move third in Bundesliga
Bayer Leverkusen claimed a 3-1 triumph over RB Leipzig on Saturday courtesy of goals by Martin Terrier, Patrik Schick, and Montrell Culbreath, which lifted them above their opponents into third position in the Bundesliga standings.
RB Leipzig went ahead through Xaver Schlager, yet Leverkusen hit back rapidly with Terrier and Schick netting within four minutes right before the interval.
The 18-year-old winger Culbreath marked his Bundesliga debut by scoring late in added time to complete the success.
RB Leipzig slip to fourth following their second loss in a row, now four points off second-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Bayern Munich, the reigning champions, must secure victory at Heidenheim on Sunday to reestablish their nine-point cushion at the summit ahead of Dortmund.
Both clubs reached the Red Bull Arena depleted, as injuries, bans, and Africa Cup of Nations obligations reduced their lineups.
Schlager opened the scoring for Leipzig in the 35th minute, slipping past various Leverkusen defenders near the penalty area before placing an accurate effort just inside the left upright.
Leverkusen responded five minutes afterward. Terrier, fresh from a remarkable scorpion-kick goal the previous week, restored parity with an excellent header.
Schick then pounced on a Nathan Tella through ball four minutes later, evading a tackle from Kosta Nedeljkovic and smashing the shot into the net's top corner.
As Leipzig pressed for a tie, Leverkusen broke away from defence to attack, allowing 18-year-old Culbreath to score in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
Stuttgart held
Saturday earlier saw Stuttgart share a 0-0 stalemate with Hoffenheim on home soil, placing them three points shy of the Champions League positions.
Stuttgart came close to leading near half-time when Tiago Tomas' effort from near range was denied by Hoffenheim's German shot-stopper Oliver Baumann.
Deniz Undav nodded in a set-piece during added time, though the effort was chalked off for marginal offside.
Stuttgart skipper Atakan Karazor said to DAZN: "We were the superior side today but we just could not finish the job, and when we managed it, the referee's whistle blew."
Eintracht Frankfurt's difficulties persisted in a 1-1 tie on the road versus Hamburg.
Frankfurt levelled via Hugo Larsson after Albert Sambi Lokonga had put the home side in front early.
A late strike from Arsenal's on-loan player Fabio Vieira for Hamburg was overturned by VAR due to offside.
Last term's third-placed Frankfurt now occupy seventh, hampered by defensive woes this campaign. They have shipped more goals than any other Bundesliga outfit, with 30 conceded so far.
Hamburg, who earned promotion from the second tier after seven years last summer, have thrived on home turf, collecting 14 of their 16 points at the 57,000-capacity Volksparkstadion.
Andras Schaefer's goal in stoppage time delivered a 1-0 success for Union Berlin at 10-man Cologne, enabling the eighth-placed team to stay in contention for Europe.
In other action, Freiburg overturned deficits twice to edge Wolfsburg 4-3, even as the hosts' forward Dzenan Pejcinovic claimed a hat-trick, while Augsburg and Werder Bremen ended goalless.