Berlin: Werder Bremen’s meteoric rise up the Bundesliga table continued as Sunday’s 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen took them up to eighth, four games after languishing in 18th.
Leverkusen, who face last year’s beaten finalists Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League, found themselves 2-0 down with half an hour gone as hosts Bremen produced some dazzling first-half football.
A superb lofted cross from attacking midfielder Fin Bartels allowed 20-year-old striker Davie Selke to put Bremen ahead with 17 minutes gone.
Bremen’s Austrian midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic then drilled home a stunning free-kick just inside the near post to double Werder’s lead after 29 minutes.
Bayer pulled a goal back when Hakan Calhanoglu headed home after Gonzalo Castro had hit the post just before half-time.
But Leverkusen boss Roger Schmidt lost his cool with tough-tackling Bremen and was banished to the stands by referee Peter Sippel on 65 minutes for using offensive language to the fourth official.
Having been bottom of the table just before their last game of 2014, Bremen have shot up to eighth under caretaker coach Viktor Skripnik, while Leverkusen stay sixth.
Augsburg remained fourth in the table after their first draw of the season as they were held 2-2 at home to mid-table Eintracht Frankfurt.
Midfielder Alexander Meier netted Frankfurt’s equaliser to claim his 14th goal of the season and remain the league’s top scorer.
