Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Bayer Leverkusen v FC Cologne - BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany - October 8, 2023 Bayer Leverkusen's Jonas Hofmann, Granit Xhaka and teammates applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Edith Geuppert
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (Reuters) - Bayer Leverkusen cruised past Cologne 3-0 on Sunday to take the lead in the Bundesliga title race with their sixth win in seven league matches.
Xabi Alonso's team, who are still undefeated, scored twice in the first half through Jonas Hofmann and Jeremie Frimpong and added a third through the club's top scorer Victor Boniface midway through the second half.
They are now on 19 points, one ahead of second-placed VfB Stuttgart, and two in front of Borussia Dortmund, who are third.
Champions Bayern Munich, on 14, are in action later on Sunday against Freiburg.
Leverkusen took a 22nd-minute lead after a perfect passing move across the entire pitch and with Florian Wirtz's backheel flick setting up Germany international Hofmann for his fourth goal of the campaign.
Hofmann has now scored in three Bundesliga matches in a row for the first time in his career.
After sloppy Cologne defending, Alex Grimaldo cut the ball back from the left and despite a crowded box, Frimpong was completely unmarked at the far post to stab it in 10 minutes later.
With Cologne on the backfoot throughout the game, the hosts missed several chances before Nigeria forward Boniface completed another textbook quick attack with a tap-in after 67 minutes to take his league tally to seven goals.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)
