With Leverkusen victorious in every head-to-head since Heidenheim’s return to the top-flight, and the visitors themselves in danger of a record-equalling fifth straight Bundesliga away loss in succession, this could surely go just one way.
And those thinking likewise were vindicated inside 90 seconds, when Ibrahim Maza stole the ball from Mathias Honsak and found Ernest Poku on the charge, who in turn laid the ball on for Patrik Schick on the outside, with the Czech striker drilling into the far corner.
Firmly on top, Leverkusen doubled their advantage just after the quarter-hour mark when an unmarked Edmond Tapsoba floated in a pinpoint cross, which required only the simplest of headers from Jonas Hofmann to guide the ball into the Heidenheim net.
And just five minutes later, it was 3-0 courtesy of an utter defensive farce, with Hofmann crossing in from the right flank, before a coming together of Diant Ramaj and Patrick Mainka saw the ball run towards the gaping net, where Schick poked in to complete his brace.
Leverkusen didn’t let up, and soon got a fourth on 27’, with a succession of neat passes on the right flank seeing Arthur whip in a ball from that was volleyed into the far corner of Ramaj’s net.
It seemed only a matter of time until Leverkusen matched the five goals they put past Heidenheim in last season’s corresponding fixture, and it was Maza that obliged in first-half injury time, with yet another simple cross – this time from Aleix Garcia – undoing the Heidenheim defence. That allowed the Algerian to slide in for his second-ever Bundesliga goal.
Naturally, the second half would be little more than a formality, and after ending such a long wait to add to his maiden strike back in May 2023, Maza made it 6-0 just eight minutes after half-time, finishing off a sequence of lightning passes by bursting through on goal and hammering the ball into the top-left corner past a stationary Ramaj.
Maza then came inches from his first senior hat-trick with a similar move, though Heidenheim then finally managed to threaten a consolation at the three-quarter mark, when Arijon Ibrahimovic saw his effort inside the box palmed wide.
There was still enough time and energy for Leverkusen to go close to a seventh though, with Hofmann laying off for Alex Grimaldo to shoot wide from the edge of the box.
Having long wrapped up the points, Leverkusen comfortably saw out a win that consolidated their position inside the top four.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ernest Poku (Bayer Leverkusen)
