Kießling goal enough to beat Bremen
Leverkusen - Stefan Kießling’s 22nd goal of the campaign was the difference as Bayer Leverkusen all but secured a UEFA Champions League spot for next season, piling yet more pressure on Werder Bremen in the process.
Leno alert
Bremen went into this encounter with just one win in their last nine games, but they were a more organised unit than that run of results suggested in the opening stages.
They successfully frustrated their hosts with some disciplined pressing and the home crowd began to grow frustrated. That brave resistance was broken on 35 minutes, though, as Kießling tucked home from the spot after Sebastian Mielitz’s foul on Sidney Sam.
The crowd had been lifted by the goal and a Michal Kadlec free-kick early in the second half caused havoc in the box, before Philipp Wollscheid missed an open goal after Kießling’s knock-back. The defender was then a very relieved man indeed, as he was caught in possession by Zlatko Junuzovic and goalkeeper Bernd Leno came to his rescue.
As long as there was just a goal's difference between the sides, Bremen retained hope of salvaging something, but they were kept at bay by a solid Bayer defence. Aaron Hunt went close on a couple of occasions, but there was no beating Leno and the result means Bremen are still not safe from the drop.
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