With two matchdays remaining in the Bundesliga season, Bayer 04 Leverkusen holds its Champions League qualification in its own hands. To secure it, however, the team needs two more performances as strong as the one in the 4-1 win over Leipzig. The players are well aware of this.
Leverkusen shelled out around twelve million euros last year to snag a certain Ibrahim Maza from second-division side Hertha BSC. A top-tier transfer, as was once again evident on this 32nd matchday.
In addition to numerous dribbles, the Berlin-born Algerian international was involved in the 1-0 goal and set up the 3-0. The beneficiary in both cases: Patrik Schick, who also managed the first Bundesliga hat trick since 2024 and received praise from Maza for it: “Schick played an incredible game.” Because his goals capped off a strong Bayer performance against third-place Leipzig (4-1), Schick’s initial reaction was one of pure joy. “I’m very happy that I was able to help my team in the Champions League race today,” the 30-year-old Czech told Sky.
Maza “can really do anything”
However, the striker much preferred to talk about his playmaker, Maza. While Schick didn’t want to compare him to his former teammate Florian Wirtz, he still showered him with high praise: “Ibo has incredible potential. He really has it all, which he showed again today. He plays great passes, is strong with his feet… he can really do it all.”
Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand could only agree with these statements: “I’ve already spoken a lot about Maza. He’s a top, top player. But the truth is: he’s a top person; he learns very quickly. You can also work hard with him, because then he says ‘thank you’ and works super hard—every day. He also learns incredibly fast. He’s simply a fantastic player with a bright future ahead of him.” The Bayer coach, by the way, didn’t want to make too much of his own role in this: “I believe a coach is someone who can help players develop. I’m just trying to support our team and the players.”
No room for slip-ups anymore
In the end, though, the final stretch isn’t about individuals, but about the team, which ideally needs to deliver two more such strong performances. In this regard, Schick—who has now scored nine goals in his last six Bundesliga matches (the highest tally in the entire league)—remained cautious, pointing to a season that has so far been marred by setbacks: “Right now, we’re on the right track. But we also know that we’ve dropped easy points time and again this season. Unfortunately, that means we’ll have to fight until the very last game.”
Which in this case means: With an away win in Stuttgart against their next direct competitor for a Champions League spot (Saturday, 3:30 p.m.) and in the final home game against Hamburger SV (May 16), Leverkusen would also be in the Champions League next season.
