Nathan Tella netted his 10th goal for Bayer Leverkusen since joining the club as the German champions secured an impressive 4-1 away victory against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, cutting Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga lead to eight points ahead of their crucial Champions League showdown.
The Nigerian forward opened the scoring in the 26th minute, latching onto a defence-splitting Granit Xhaka pass before calmly slotting home to trigger a devastating seven-minute goal blitz from Xabi Alonso’s side.
Tella’s strike was quickly followed by a Nordi Mukiele tap-in three minutes later, as the defender capitalised on a pinballing ball in a crowded penalty area to double Leverkusen’s advantage at Deutsche Bank Park.
The visitors’ ruthless attacking display continued when Patrick Schick added a third in the 33rd minute, sliding in Alex Grimaldo’s precise pass to register his 16th goal in his last 14 appearances across all competitions.
Frankfurt managed to pull one back before the break when striker Hugo Ekitike punished Mukiele’s poor pass to score in the 37th minute, giving the home supporters brief hope of a comeback.
Despite the hosts starting the second half brightly, any chance of a Frankfurt revival was extinguished in the 63rd minute when Aleix Garcia unleashed a cracking long-range effort that sealed a crucial win for the defending champions.
The comprehensive victory keeps Leverkusen’s slim hopes of retaining their Bundesliga title alive, coming just days before their highly anticipated Champions League last 16 clash against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Tella’s goal marked a significant personal milestone, as the 25-year-old has now reached double figures for Leverkusen, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists in 70 appearances since joining the club.
The loss continued Frankfurt’s concerning slide, with the Eagles having lost two from eight matches since star forward Omar Marmoush departed for Manchester City during the January transfer window.
