LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Lucas Alario scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen beat Augsburg 3-1 in the Bundesliga on Monday to win its third game in a row across all competitions.
Alario won and converted a penalty and later restored Leverkusen’s lead with a header after Daniel Caligiuri levelled with Augsburg’s first goal in Leverkusen since 2015. Moussa Diaby added Leverkusen’s third goal in stoppage time.
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Leverkusen started the league season with three straight draws but turned a corner with a 1-0 win over Mainz before hammering Nice 6-2 in the Europa League on Thursday. Monday’s win takes Leverkusen up to fourth in the Bundesliga standings. It’s one of three remaining unbeaten teams along with standings leader Leipzig and 10th-place Wolfsburg. Augsburg sits 11th and is winless in three league games.
Alario took full advantage of set pieces as the Argentine forward recorded his first two-goal game in 10 months.
Alario headed a corner onto Raphael Framberger’s outstretched arm at a corner to win a 16th-minute penalty which he converted with a calm shot into the bottom right corner.
Under former Leverkusen coach Heiko Herrlich, Augsburg responded with a team passing move to level the score early in the second half. Augsburg moved the ball from the right flank to the left and back again before Caligiuri cut inside and shot low past Lukas Hradecky in the Leverkusen goal.
Leverkusen missed good chances to respond when 17-year-old Florian Wirtz shot at Augsburg goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz before Leon Bailey crashed the rebound against the crossbar. However, Alario lost his marker at a 74th-minute free kick to head in his second goal.
Augsburg brought Gikiewicz up for a last-minute corner and was punished when Leverkusen countered and Diaby scored into the undefended net.
