Pro Sports

Leverkusen up to 5th in Bundesliga, Bremen still in danger

Posted January 26, 2020 6:00 am

By CIARÃN FAHEY

Duesseldorf's Matthias Zimmermann, right, fouls Leverkusen's Nadiem Amiri in the penalty zone during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Duesseldorf in Leverkusen, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) The Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen moved up to fifth place in the Bundesliga with a 3-0 win over bottom side Fortuna DÃ¼sseldorf, while Werder Bremen was unable to escape the relegation zone on Sunday.

Kai Havertz got Leverkusen off the mark in the 40th minute, Lars Bender decided the outcome in the 79th and Lucas Alario made sure with a penalty in the 89th.

Leverkusen's third straight league win lifted the side one point above Schalke - which was demolished 5-0 by Bayern Munich on Saturday - and six points behind league leader Leipzig.

DÃ¼sseldorf is last following its second consecutive loss and after previously bottom Paderborn's win the day before.

Bremen's bid to leave the drop zone ended in a 3-0 defeat at home to Hoffenheim earlier Sunday.

Bremen was the better side for much of the game until Andrej Kramaric forced an own-goal from Davy Klaassen in the 65th.

Bremen coach Florian Kohfeldt reacted with two changes but his side was caught on a counterattack finished off by Christoph Baumgartner in the 79th, four minutes before Kramaric set up Sargis Adamyan for the deciding goal.

Bremen remained in the relegation playoff spot, while Hoffenheim moved seventh, three points behind Schalke.

Leipzig lost at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday, with Bayern and Borussia MÃ¶nchengladbach taking advantage with wins to cut the gap to one and two points, respectively. Borussia Dortmund is four points off the pace.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

___

CiarÃ¡n Fahey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfaheyAP

Leverkusen's Lucas Alario scores a penalty during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Duesseldorf in Leverkusen, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) The Associated Press

Leverkusen's Karim Bellarabi jumps for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Duesseldorf in Leverkusen, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) The Associated Press

Leverkusen's Lars Bender, right, scores his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Duesseldorf in Leverkusen, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) The Associated Press

Leverkusen's Kai Havertz, center, is celebrated by his team after he scored the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Fortuna Duesseldorf in Leverkusen, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) The Associated Press

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.