Europa League Round 2: Schick and Šulc Shine as Leverkusen and Lyon Win
Patrik Schick entered the match as a substitute and scored two penalties, lifting Bayer Leverkusen to a 4-0 victory over Lech Poznań. Sport.cz reported that despite sitting atop the Bundesliga goalscoring charts, Schick began the fixture on the bench as manager Carles Martínez rotated his squad ahead of a clash against Freiburg.
Martínez Rotates Squad Before Terrier Injury
Manager Carles Martínez opted to rest several regular starters, including English defender Quansah, Portuguese winger Moreira, and Argentine midfielder Medina, to manage player load ahead of the domestic fixture. That rotation plan shifted in the 18th minute when French forward Martin Terrier suffered an injury, forcing Schick onto the pitch far earlier than anticipated. Lech Poznań struggled to contain the visiting side, conceding the opening goals before halftime. Following the interval, Schick continued to press the host defense, creating an opening for Ibrahim Maza in the 49th minute and nearly securing a hat-trick with a close-range header that missed wide, while ultimately playing 58 minutes with a 100 percent pass completion rate across 11 attempted passes and an expected goals figure of 2.1.
Schick and Tillman Score in 4-0 Victory
Schick stepped up to convert past the goalkeeper, registering his first goal of the European campaign to add to his five domestic strikes. Just three minutes later, American midfielder Tillman forced a loose ball home to extend the lead to 2-0. In the 38th minute, Schick earned a penalty after drawing a foul from Mateusz Skrzypczak, and later executed a subsequent spot-kick with a stutter-step approach, pausing in his run-up before sliding the ball low into the left corner. Ibrahim Maza concluded the scoring in the 89th minute, sealing a second 4-0 defeat for the Polish champions following an identical result against Crystal Palace. The victory keeps Leverkusen perfect in the league phase with a clean sheet intact.
Parallel Results Across the Europa League
Elsewhere in the competition, Olympique Lyon edged Crystal Palace 3-2 in a fixture featuring a notable goal by midfielder Pavel Šulc. Lyon capitalized early when captain Corentin Tolisso scored in the eighth minute following a goalmouth scramble from a corner kick. Although Spanish winger Yeremy Pino narrowed the deficit, Šulc restored a two-goal cushion by converting with a backheel finish during defensive confusion. In Belgium, Union St. Gilloise drew 1-1 with San Sebastian after Keita canceled out Turrientes’s opening strike. AC Milan rebounded from an opening defeat with a commanding 4-0 win away against Red Bull Salzburg, powered by a hat-trick from forward Cissé. Meanwhile, Omonia Nikósie secured a 3-0 victory at Celje behind goals from Jaden Montnor, Muamer Tanković, and Senou Coulibaly, marking the Cypriot club’s second successive win in the tournament.
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