Leverkusen Thrash Fortuna To Keep Pace In Bundesliga

Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jan, 2020 ) :Bayer Leverkusen cruised past rock-bottom Fortuna Duesseldorf 3-0 on Sunday to keep themselves in a tight Bundesliga title race.

A first-half header from Kai Havertz, followed by a second-half goal from captain Lars Bender and a penalty from Lucas Alario ensured the win and fifth place, six points behind league leaders RB Leipzig.

The visitors remain rooted to the foot of the table.

Havertz was the hosts' most dangerous man, and headed a Karim Bellarabi cross beyond the grasp of Florian Kastenmeier to give the home side the lead in the 40th minute.

Captain Lars Bender doubled their lead with 11 minutes remaining, tapping home Kerem Demirbay's looping corner unmarked to make.

Lucas Alario made it 3-0 from the spot in the final minutes, sending Kastenmeier the wrong way after Nadiem Amiri was brought down in the box.

Earlier Werder Bremen sank further into relegation trouble on Sunday after slumping to a 3-0 home Bundesliga defeat at the hands of Europe-chasing Hoffenheim.

A Davy Klaassen own goal in the 65th minute was followed up by strikes from Christoph Baumgartner and Sargis Adamyan for the away side to sink Bremen to their fifth defeat in six matches.

The loss leaves the hosts in the Bundesliga's relegation play-off place on 17 points, one behind Mainz in 16th place.

"We played a really good away game today, the boys defended with discipline," Hoffenheim manager Alfred Schreuder.

In the end, we deserved to win -- this is a very important victory for us." Hoffenheim -- who are up to seventh, two points away from the Europa League spots -- were initially kept at bay a Bremen side determined to keep a clean sheet for just the second time this season.

Bremen managed to stifle Hoffenheim until Stefan Posch got his head to the ball at a Hoffenheim corner, with Klaassen's attempted clearance landing in his own net.

It was a demoralising goal to concede for Bremen, who went two down 14 minutes later when Baumgartner's superb backheel floated over the head of goalkeeper Jir� Pavlenka.

A third followed just four minutes later, Andrej Kramaric finding Adamyan in a crowded penalty area. The Armenian's deflected shot gave Pavlenka no chance and sealed Hoffenheim's third win in four matches.