Leverkusen suffer shock 2-0 home loss to Werder Bremen

Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title aspirations suffered a significant blow on Saturday as they slumped to a surprise 2-0 home defeat against Werder Bremen. The loss prevents Leverkusen from capitalizing on leaders Bayern Munich’s shock 3-2 defeat to VfL Bochum, leaving them eight points adrift of the top spot.

Werder Bremen, who had lost their previous five matches, took an unexpected lead in the seventh minute. Romano Schmid capitalized on a Leverkusen defensive error, slotting the ball home at the far post.

Leverkusen came close to equalizing in first-half stoppage time, but Aleix García’s free-kick struck the crossbar.

Adding to Leverkusen’s woes, attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz was forced off with an ankle injury in the 54th minute. Manager Xabi Alonso confirmed that Wirtz had been taken to hospital for a scan, with his availability for Tuesday’s Champions League second leg against Bayern Munich now in doubt. “It is too early to say,” Alonso said. “We have to see what the feeling is, what the result of the scan is and then we will have the information.”

Despite applying late pressure, Leverkusen struggled to create clear-cut chances. Werder Bremen sealed their victory in stoppage time with a goal from Justin Njinmah.

“For us it was a bad game. Really bad day,” Xabi Alonso, told a press conference. “After the loss in Munich we wanted to be a bit fresher but it did not work. We will forget this game now and start believing again. We did not have control, we played without logic. We did not attack the last third well. It was too hectic and the chances were not clear chances,” Alonso said

The defeat represents a major setback for Leverkusen’s title hopes, while Werder Bremen’s victory lifts them to 12th place with 33 points. The match highlighted Leverkusen’s vulnerability and their reliance on the injured Wirtz, adding uncertainty to their upcoming Champions League clash with Bayern, where they need to overturn a 3-0 first-leg deficit.