Bayer Leverkusen slumped to a league defeat at the hands of Werder Bremen, at the Bay Arena.
Coming from a heavy Champions League last-16 first leg loss to Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga holders lost 2-0 to Bremen.
Goals from Romano Schmid and Justin Njinmah compounded Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen to the home loss, ending their 22-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga.
The visitors stunned the hosts with an early goal, courtesy of Schmid’s 7th minute strike. The Austrian midfielder pounced on a defensive error by Mario Hermoso, finishing clinically from close range.
Leverkusen, despite dominating possession, struggled to create clear-cut chances against a resilient Bremen defence.
Patrik Schick came close for the hosts in the 28th minute, but his effort went wide. Aleix García also had his free-kick struck the crossbar, leaving Leverkusen frustrated at the break.
Leverkusen thought to have squared the contest, when Milos Veljkovic put the ball in the net in the 31st minute. However, it was ruled out for offside.
Following the restart, Alonso introduced Florian Wirtz in an attempt to change the game. However, the playmaker had his involvement short-lived, as he was injured due to a heavy challenge from Mitchell Weiser.
Wirtz tried to continue but was eventually forced off in the 59th minute, dealing a significant blow to the hosts’ comeback hopes.
Leverkusen continued to increase the pressure on Bremen’s goal, but the visitors’ defence remained solid, with goalkeeper, Michael Zetterer, also making several crucial saves to maintain his team’s lead. Zetterer denied Exequiel Palacios and Jeremie Frimpong as Leverkusen pushed for an equaliser.
However, Njinmah sealed the victory for Werder Bremen, as the substitute struck in stoppage time. The Bremen’s attacker broke free on a counter-attack and calmly slotted past Lukas Hradecky.
Xabi Alonso’s side still remains in second place, behind Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich.
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