Bayer Leverkusen came up against a stubborn Eintracht Frankfurt side on Saturday afternoon, but managed to take their chances and secure a 3-1 victory.
Hernandez shows no signs of stopping scoring
The visitors started well with a Kevin Kampl volley from 30 yards stinging the palms of Lukas Hradecky. Frankfurt responded with Stefan Aigner going through on goal, only for the offside flag to prevent him from scoring. They were dealt a blow early on, however, as Luc Castaignos had to be substituted with a rather nasty looking injury.
Just a few moments later, Leverkusen threatened again. A clever corner from Hakan Calhanoglu was flicked on at the near post by Admir Mehmedi, although Ömer Toprak was unable to apply the necessary finish. That would soon be forgotten, as Roger Schmidt's side went ahead from the same passage of play.
Frankfurt cleared the ball but it was snapped up quickly by Kampl. He drove forward and broke past a series of challenges to get into the box, before looking up to see Javier Hernandez in the area. He attempted to find the Mexican but it looked like David Abraham and Hradecky would cut the pass out. However the pair got mixed up and neither cleared the ball, leaving Hernandez free to tap in.
Clinical finishing from both sides, but Leverkusen deservedly come out on top
The hosts looked like they had settled again but they were hit with a sucker-punch. As they made their way up the field, Leverkusen won the ball back and moved forward with speed to catch Frankfurt off guard. A lovely through ball sent Hernandez through on goal once again, and the Little Pea made no mistake in sweeping the ball through the legs of Hradecky to add a quick second.
The Eagles would pull one back soon after, and just before the break. A powerful free-kick from the left by Marc Stendera was met with equal power by Slobodan Medojevic, who bulleted a header in off the bar. What looked to be a lost cause now had renewed hope.
The second half was a more considered affair, with chances few and far between. Karim Bellarabi went close, as did Aigner, but they were the only opportunities of note. There would be one more goal, and it went to Leverkusen. Calhanoglu killed any hope of a comeback as Kampl fed the ball into his feet, before shifting it onto his right foot and rifling a shot into the far right corner from 25 yards. They then cruised through the remainder of the game to seal all three points.