Bayer Leverkusen beat Freiburg to reach fourth spot

Bayer Leverkusen have claimed a 1-0 victory over Freiburg to climb up to fourth spot in the Bundesliga.

A sluggish start from Leverkusen offered hope to Freiburg, and the visitors followed a promising spell by creating the first chance when Jonathan Schmid found space to test Bernd Leno from a tight angle.

However, the lead belonged to the hosts 12 minutes before the interval when Roman Burki pushed Hakan Calhanoglu's cross straight to Simon Rolfes, who kept his composure to fire home.

Leverkusen could have doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time when Son Heung-min evaded a couple of challenges to create space in the box, but Burki got a strong hand to the low effort and Freiburg managed to clear the danger.

The home side dominated throughout the second half as Freiburg were forced to drop deeper, but chances were difficult to come by as Leverkusen looked to convert pressure into a bigger advantage.

Son came close to putting the result beyond doubt with 20 minutes remaining with a curled effort which drifted just over the crossbar.

A late rally from Freiburg never arrived, and Leverkusen held on comfortably for a crucial win in the race for a Champions League spot.