Bayer Leverkusen 5-2 Heidenheim: Hat-trick hero Schick inspires five-star comeback

A hat-trick from Bayer Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick inspired the Bundesliga champions to come from two goals down to beat Heidenheim 5-2 on Saturday.

The emphatic triumph saw Xabi Alonso’s side extend their unbeaten league run to nine matches, moving them up to fourth but still nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich.

However, Leverkusen found themselves behind inside the opening 10 minutes when Niklas Dorsch was teed up by Marvin Pieringer inside the box.

Heidenheim doubled their advantage soon after through Mathias Honsak, who danced his way beyond three defenders before finishing into the bottom left corner.

But two goals in two minutes from Exequiel Palacios and Schick drew the hosts level, with Leverkusen able to take a hold of the contest after the interval.

Schick notched his second of the game seven minutes after the restart to put Leverkusen ahead when he brilliantly flicked Florian Wirtz’s cross beyond Kevin Muller.

The Czech striker completed his hat-trick with a header in the 71st minute, with Granit Xhaka sealing the win with a curled finish into the far left corner.

Our Patrik Hero! #B04FCH pic.twitter.com/JnIcFzkPaD

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) November 23, 2024

Data Debrief: Patrik Hero

Ahead of kick-off, Leverkusen were dealt a huge injury blow with in-form striker Victor Boniface potentially ruled out until next year, but they needn’t have worried.

Schick grasped his opportunity with both hands, putting on an impressive display and ending the game with more shots on target (four) and more touches in the opposition box (13), while also accumulating a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 1.37 to Leverkusen’s 2.05 total.

He has now scored three or more goals in a Bundesliga game on three occasions for Leverkusen, with only Ulf Kirsten (seven) having done so more times for the club.