Volland scores hat-trick as impressive Leverkusen overcome top-four rivals Frankfurt
Kevin Volland scored a second-half hat-trick as Bayer Leverkusen's top-four chase gained momentum with an impressive win against fellow European hopefuls Eintracht Frankfurt at the BayArena on Matchday 30.
Bayer Leverkusen 4-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Goals: 1-0 Brandt (20'), 1-1 Fabian (23'), 2-1 Volland (71'), 3-1 Volland (78'), 4-1 Volland (88')
Despite fielding their oldest line-up since 2010 (average age: 28.6), Frankfurt made a sprightly start. Niko Kovac's side enjoyed plenty of possession, although that allowed Leverkusen to counter-attack with regularity and the hosts had twice gone close through Volland by the time Julian Brandt opened the scoring, cleverly diverting Kai Havertz's cross in from a tight angle. Frankfurt's response was as instant as it was well-worked; within two minutes, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Marius Wolf took advantage of the gaps between the Leverkusen lines, Wolf teeing up Marco Fabian inside the box to finish calmly. Leon Bailey looked Bayer's best hope of another goal before the break, but the Jamaican was marshalled well by the Eagles' seasoned defensive line.
Man of the match
Brandt and Havertz (two assists on his landmark appearance) deserve a mention, but Volland's display underlined the value of persistence. At first he didn't succeed, but he tried and tried again, scoring three times in the second half and drawing the deserved acclaim of the BayArena public.
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Match stats
- At the age of 18 years and 307 days, Havertz became the youngest ever Bundesliga player to 50 top-flight appearances.Bayer keeper Bernd Leno made his 300th competitive appearance for the club.Brandt's goal was his 26th in the Bundesliga, but only his second with his head.Brandt has scored four goals in his last six top-flight outings.Fabian's goal was his first in the Bundesliga since scoring a brace against Augsburg on 22 April 2017.Volland has scored 14 goals this season; this was his first-ever Bundesliga hat-trick.This fixture has never ended 0-0 in the Bundesliga
Line-ups
Leverkusen: Leno – L. Bender (c), S. Bender, Retsos, Henrichs – Baumgartlinger, Aranguiz – Brandt, Havertz (Kohr 87'), Bailey (Bellarabi 75') – Volland
Unused subs: Özcan, Kießling, Jedvaj, Frey, Yurchenko
Absentees: Wendell (ankle), Alario (suspended), Pohjanpalo (ankle)
Coach: Heiko Herrlich
Frankfurt: Hradecky - Abraham (c), Hasebe, Falette - Da Costa, Fernandes, De Guzman, Willems (Chandler 70') - Fabian, Boateng (Haller 63')- Wolf (Jovic 78')
Unused subs: Zimmermann, Gacinovic, Russ, Barkok
Absentees: Salcedo (collarbone), Mascarell (foot), Mbouhoum (knee), Dadashov (disciplined by club), Rebic (calf)
Coach: Niko Kovac
Watch: Bailey: "Always dominating!"
As it happened!