Ibrahim Konate (Bottom) of Leipzig vies with Julian Brandt of Leverkusen during the Bundesliga match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and RB Leipzig in Leverkusen, Germany, April 6, 2019. Leipzig won 4-2. (Xinhua/Joachim Bywaletz)
BERLIN, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Leipzig made a big step towards a berth in next season's UEFA Champions League after coming from behind to beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 on three second-half goals at the 28th round in Bundesliga on Saturday.
Bayer Leverkusen took the reins from the starting whistle and needed only 11 minutes to break the deadlock as Willi Orban fouled Kevin Volland in the box allowing Kai Havertz to convert the subsequent penalty.
It was a short-lived joy for the hosts as Leipzig restored parity six minutes later when Marcel Sabitzer scored with a direct free kick to stun the hosts.
However, Bayer Leverkusen remained unimpressed and responded well as Havertz' one-timer following a corner made it 2-1 on the scoreboards 23 minutes into the game.
Volland had the golden chance to extend the lead for Leverkusen but Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi denied the German international from close range before the break.
After the restart, Leverkusen thought they had extended the lead but the referee ruled Leon Bailey's hammer offside six minutes into the second half.
As the match progressed, Leipzig increased the pressure and levelled the scores in the 64th minute when Timo Werner had all time and space to slot home from the edge of the box.
The visitors turned the tides moments later after Emil Forsberg converted a handball penalty to make it 3-2.
Things went from bad to worse for Leverkusen as Matheus Cunha shrugged off two defenders to chip the ball over onrushing Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky to secure the 4-2 victory in the 83rd minute.
With the result, Leipzig reaped their third straight win to consolidate their third place in the standings whereas Bayer Leverkusen slipped to the eighth position.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt increased their chances to play in Europe next season after beating Schalke 2-1 on Luka Jovic's last-gasp penalty.
Benito Raman's brace helped newly promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf to edge Hertha Berlin 2-1 on home soil.
Hannover squandered a 1-0 lead to rivals Wolfsburg and lost 3-1 in the Lower Saxony derby while Stuttgart shared the spoils with newly promoted Nuremberg following a 1-1 draw.
