Leverkusen give Bremen the blues

By Mark Bennett

Werder Bremen suffered a setback in their bid to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League after losing 2-1 at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Win crucial
The reigning German champions went into the match requiring victory to close the gap on VfB Stuttgart, currently in possession of third place and a Champions League qualifying round berth, who dropped points following a goalless draw with VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday. However, only three minutes had elapsed when the visitors fell behind after Dimitar Berbatov's squared pass found Polish international Jacek Krzynowek, whose clever chip eluded goalkeeper Andreas Reinke.

Rapid reply
Marko Babic doubled the home side's advantage seven minutes before half-time, and despite Miroslav Klose pulling a goal back for Bremen almost instantly, Thomas Schaaf’s side failed to turn the match around after the break. Consequently, Bremen drop to fifth, level on points with sixth-placed Hamburger SV and a point ahead of Leverkusen, who are both attempting to overtake them for a place in next season’s UEFA Cup.

Relegation issue
In Sunday’s other match, 1. FC Nürnberg remain 13th following a goalless draw with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach. Wolfgang Wolf’s side are now six points clear of the drop zone, while Mönchengladbach are fourth from bottom and only two points clear of VfL Bochum 1848, currently occupying the final relegation berth.