Ibrahim Maza shines as Bayer Leverkusen run riot against Heidenheim
Ibrahim Maza scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen put six without reply past rock-bottom Heidenheim.
Bayer Leverkusen 6-0 Heidenheim
Goals: 1-0 Schick 2’ (assist: Poku), 2-0 Hofmann 16‘ (assist: Tapsoba), 3-0 Schick 22‘, 4-0 Poku 27‘ (assist: Arthur), 5-0 Maza 45‘+1 (assist: García), 6-0 Maza 53‘ (assist: Tapsoba)
After suffering their first Bundesliga defeat under Kasper Hjulmand at Bayern Munich last weekend, Leverkusen were eager to bounce back against a Heidenheim side struggling on their travels.
Frank Schmidt's visitors arrived at the BayArena rooted to the bottom of the table and without a single away point all season. Die Werkself, meanwhile, had taken 13 points from a possible 15 against bottom-half teams this term and restored experienced trio Robert Andrich, Jonas Hofmann and Patrik Schick to the starting line-up after their midweek Champions League victory at Benfica.
Leverkusen wasted no time asserting their dominance, taking the lead after just two minutes. Ibrahim Maza won possession in midfield before finding Ernest Poku, who drove forward and laid the ball off to Schick to rifle home.
Flying start
Heidenheim looked shell-shocked as the hosts continued to pour forward, and their lead was doubled on 16 minutes when Edmond Tapsoba curled a delightful cross for Hofmann to head past Diant Ramaj.
The floodgates truly opened when Schick pounced for his second after a defensive mix-up between Patrick Mainka and Ramaj in the 22nd minute.
Poku then added a fourth five minutes later, converting Arthur's cross with a deft volley, before Maza capped a scintillating first-half performance with a clinical finish from Aleix García's delivery in stoppage time.
Maza adds another as Leverkusen cruise
Schmidt had already made two substitutions before half-time, bringing on Benedikt Gimber and Niklas Dorsch, but nothing could stem the tide.
Hjulmand introduced Martin Terrier and Malik Tillman at the interval, but Leverkusen's momentum remained unaffected. Eight minutes into the second half, Maza collected Tapsoba's pass and drove into the box before finishing expertly past Ramaj for his second of the afternoon.
The 19-year-old nearly completed his hat-trick moments later, beating his man brilliantly only to see his shot deflected narrowly wide.
Alejandro Grimaldo twice went close to adding a seventh late on, first being denied by Ramaj before curling another effort just past the post, but Leverkusen had long since secured an emphatic victory.
Man of the Match: Ibrahim Maza
In a match full of outstanding performances, Maza stood head and shoulders above the rest. The talented 19-year-old scored twice with clinical finishes - once in first-half stoppage time and again eight minutes after the restart.
Beyond his goals, Maza was a constant threat. His impressive stats tell the story: the starlet won a match-high 12 challenges despite being the most pressed player (19 times), and showed remarkable composure by escaping pressure 77 percent of the time.
Maza's industry and creativity were at the heart of Leverkusen's dominant display, deservedly earning him the Man of the Match award.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Leverkusen 4.06 - Heidenheim 0.13
Fastest player: Arthur (Leverkusen), 34.08 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Schick (Leverkusen), 12 per cent
Most pressed player: Maza (Leverkusen), 19 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Grimaldo (Leverkusen), +5.74
Fantasy Heroes: Maza (Leverkusen, 510 Points), Grimaldo (Leverkusen, 396 Points), García (Leverkusen, 350 Points)
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