Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Bremen brought down to earth in shock win over Leverkusen

1026494
1026494
minus
plus

Berlin: Werder Bremen failed to move within one point of Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund when they crashed 6-2 at home against rampant Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday. A double from Kai Havertz, Kevin Volland, Julian Brandt, Karim Ballarabi, Aleksandar Dragovic handed Bremen a first home defeat in almost a year and gave the visitors and their beleaguered coach Heiko Herrlich a badly-needed boost.


RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt also spurned opportunities in the upper regions of the table as Leipzig could not find a way past Schalke in a goalless draw and Frankfurt were lucky to salvage a 1-1 at Nuremberg.


The results meant that champions Bayern Munich were the only team at the top to win on the weekend, 2-1 at Mainz.


Dortmund, held 2-2 by Hertha Berlin, are top with 21 points, two ahead of Bayern. Moenchengladbach, 3-1 losers in Freiburg, and Bremenhave 17, Leipzig and Hertha 16 each, and Frankfurt 14 in seventh.


Leverkusen rose to 12th, five points clear of the danger zone, while Nuremberg and Schalke hover just above the bottom three.


Herrlich and his team were condemned to deliver in Bremen after a poor start into the league and a mid-week Europa League defeat in Zurich, and did so in style, taking just eight minutes to lead when Volland tapped in Bellarabi’s cross at the far left post.


Ludwig Augustinsson and Max Kruse failed to convert for Bremen but Leverkusen remained deadly on the counter as Brandt made it 2-0 in the 38th with a low drive and Bellarabi got the third on the stroke of half-time.


Bellarabi hit the post shortly after the restart but Bremen were suddenly in the match again when 40-year-old veteran Claudio Pizarroand Yuya Osako were on target within two minutes for 3-2. — DPA


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon