Bayer Leverkusen kept their faint Bundesliga title hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over Augsburg at the BayArena.
Patrik Schick fired the hosts ahead in the 13th minute, latching onto a Nathan Tella cross to blast past Augsburg goalkeeper Finn Dahmen. It was Schick’s second goal in as many games and further delayed Augsburg’s bid for a record 12th clean sheet of the season.
Tella thought he had doubled the advantage shortly after, only for VAR to rule out his effort for offside. However, Leverkusen remained dominant and were rewarded in first-half stoppage time when Emiliano Buendía drilled a low shot into the bottom corner from outside the area.
Augsburg showed more attacking intent after the break, with Samuel Essende and Alexis Claude-Maurice both going close, but they were unable to find a way past Matej Kovar in the Leverkusen goal.
Phillip Tietz missed a golden opportunity to halve the deficit late on, heading straight at Kovar from close range, while Jonas Hofmann spurned a chance to extend Leverkusen’s lead at the other end.
Victory ensures that Leverkusen’s slim title chances will carry into next week, although Xabi Alonso’s side could still be officially dethroned if Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig next Saturday.
Bayern maintained their eight-point lead at the top with a simultaneous victory over Mainz.
