Sharp Schick helps Leverkusen match Bayern's five
Patrik Schick scored four goals as Bayer Leverkusen romped to a 5-1 victory at home to Freiburg in its final match before the winter break.
The win left Leverkusen in second place in the Bundesliga table, four behind Bayern Munich, which also signed off before Christmas with a 5-1 victory over RB Leipzig.
Xabi Alonso Leverkusen went a goal up at BayArena through Shick, with a delightful lob over Freiburg goalkeeper Noah Atubolu in first-half stoppage-time.
Atubolu had earlier saved Florian Wirtz's penalty in the 33rd minute, but was beaten here.
The hosts then went goal crazy in the second half, with Wirtz making up for failing to convert his penalty by doubling Leverkusen's lead with a close-range finish six minutes into the second half.
Freiburg was given a glimmer of hope when Vincenzo Grifo got it back into it four minutes after Wirtz's goal, but Schick killed the game as a contest single-handedly after that.
The Czech international made it 3-1 after heading in from Wirtz's cross in the 67th minute and had his hat-trick seven minutes later, again linking up with Wirtz.
His fourth came 13 minutes from the end, through another header to complete the rout.
This was a fifth straight league victory for defending Bundesliga champion Leverkusen, which is its longest winning streak since April.
Schick, meanwhile, has now scored nine league goals for Leverkusen this season, which is more than any of his team-mates.
Wirtz is also on seven assists this season, after his three against Freiburg, and no player in the Bundesliga has more.
Alonso was adamant after the game that it was not as straightforward for his side as the scoreline suggested.
"The result may have been spectacular and Patrik scored four goals, but the game was not as easy as it seemed," he said.
"We had a good opponent, and we had to prepare our actions intelligently.
"When a striker scores four goals, you can't complain. Patrik also does a lot of work off the ball and when he does that well, that's why he scores the goals. He helps the team, and they make chances for him.
"It was a very important victory for us today. We wanted to continue our sequence and go into the break with a good feeling. We managed that. We will continue to attack in the new year.
"That gives everyone a good feeling. We have big ambitions to continue fighting for our goals in 2025, and we want to achieve a lot together."
