Bundesliga Roundup: Leverkusen Beat Leipzig as Paderborn Shock Hoffenheim and Schalke Draw 0-0
Round 4 of the Bundesliga saw two home sides make the most of limited chances against opponents who dominated possession, while another game finished goalless despite plenty of action inside the box.
Bayer Leverkusen beat RB Leipzig 2-0 at the BayArena in a professional, well-controlled performance. Patrik Schick opened the scoring right before half time, finishing off a low cross from Miguel Gutiérrez, before Gutiérrez turned provider into scorer himself, cutting inside to double the lead early in the second half. Leipzig had their moments, especially early on, but Leverkusen were far the sharper side in the penalty area, racking up more than double the touches in the box across the game. Gutiérrez picked up an 8.7 rating and the fans' vote for his goal and assist, capping off a complete display from left-back.
SC Paderborn produced a similar story, beating TSG Hoffenheim 3-1 despite having just 34 percent of the possession. Santiago Castañeda opened the scoring from a corner before Stefano Marino doubled the lead just before the break. Hoffenheim pulled one back early in the second half through Adam Daghim, but substitute Steffen Tigges restored the two-goal cushion with a header on the hour mark to settle things. Hoffenheim had by far the greater share of the ball and more shots overall, but Paderborn were much the more clinical side, and Castañeda was named man of the match for his goal and a tireless defensive shift alongside it.
Elsewhere, Schalke and Elversberg played out a goalless draw at the VELTINS-Arena in a game where duels and defending took centre stage over any real cutting edge. Elversberg had more of the ball for long spells, but neither side could muster more than a single shot on target across the full 90 minutes. Schalke's Hasan Kuruçay was the standout performer, picking up the top rating on the pitch for a commanding defensive display that included seven successful tackles.
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