BERLIN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Bayer Leverkusen claimed a 2-0 victory over Cologne in the Bundesliga, with a moment of brilliance from substitute Martin Terrier and a late set-piece goal sealing their authority in the Rhine derby on Saturday.
Leverkusen controlled the contest from the opening stages, enjoying clear territorial and possession advantages, but initially struggled to translate superiority into goals. The hosts pressed high, recycled the ball efficiently and repeatedly pinned Cologne back in their own half, while the visitors focused on defensive organization and quick transitions.
The home side created the better chances before the break. Christian Kofane was denied from a tight angle, Arthur and Malik Tillman both fired narrowly wide, while Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwabe kept his side level by reacting sharply to efforts from Jonas Hofmann. Cologne threatened sporadically, with Luca Waldschmidt forcing a solid save from Mark Flekken, but rarely sustained pressure and struggled to involve their forwards consistently.
Leverkusen resumed with renewed urgency after the interval. Tillman missed a golden opportunity when sent clear, shooting over from close range, before Schwabe was again called into action to deny Ibrahim Maza and Kofane as the hosts increased the tempo and numbers committed forward.
The breakthrough arrived in the 66th minute through substitute Terrier. Slightly behind the ball at the far post, the striker produced an improvised back-heeled finish from Arthur's cross, looping the ball over Schwabe in a spectacular scorpion-style effort that finally rewarded Leverkusen's dominance.
Cologne barely recovered before conceding again. After Schwabe prevented an own goal from a corner, Aleix Garcia delivered the subsequent set piece, and Robert Andrich rose unchallenged to head in from close range in the 72nd minute.
Leverkusen comfortably saw out the closing stages to win the 73rd Bundesliga derby between the sides. The victory allows Bayer 04 to defend fourth place in the table against Hoffenheim, while Cologne remain under pressure in the lower reaches of the standings.
Elsewhere in 14th round, Eintracht Frankfurt edged Augsburg 1-0, Wolfsburg won 3-1 at Borussia Monchengladbach, St Pauli beat Heidenheim 2-1 and Hoffenheim thrashed Hamburg 4-1. Bayern Munich remained top on 37 points, eight clear of second-placed RB Leipzig, with Borussia Dortmund third on 28 and Hoffenheim up to 26. The action continues on Sunday as Freiburg host Dortmund, Bayern welcome Mainz and Werder Bremen face Stuttgart. ■
