Bayer Leverkusen thrash FC Koln to climb to third

Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to climb to third spot with an emphatic 5-1 victory over FC Koln this afternoon.

The visitors were gifted the chance to break the deadlock in just the fourth minute when Matthias Lehmann was brought down by Bernd Leno after beating the Leverkusen goalkeeper to a ball inside the box.

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Lehmann took on the responsibility from 12 yards to give his side the lead with an emphatic finish.

Leverkusen recovered impressively from the early setback to equalise midway through the first half when Karim Bellarabi converted from close range after Timo Horn had failed to hold on to Hakan Calhanoglu's powerful free kick.

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The hosts grew in confidence heading into the interval, but they were denied the lead before the break when Horn returned to form by tipping Gonzalo Castro's effort past the post.

Chances were difficult to come by in the early stages of the second half as both sides looked to take control of the match.

It would be Leverkusen who claimed the advantage just after the hour mark as Calhanoglu followed up his earlier effort by curling a free kick into the top corner from 25 yards.

Bellarabi should have put the result beyond doubt moments later, but he could only fire straight at Horn after sprinting clear of the visiting defence.

However, Leverkusen did manage to add gloss to the scoreline when substitute Josip Drmic slotted home following some clever work in the box from Son Heung-min.

Koln's collapse allowed the hosts to add a fourth through Drmic, who capped off an impressive cameo by volleying past Horn.

It was down to Bellarabi to complete the scoring in the first minute of stoppage time with a calm finish after being picked out by Drmic.