Bayer Leverkusen 0-2 Werder Bremen: Hosts miss chance to close gap on Bayern Munich

Bayer Leverkusen missed the chance to close the gap to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich following a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Werder Bremen on Saturday.

Last season’s defending champions remain eight points behind the leaders, who were also beaten 3-2 at home to VfL Bochum on an intriguing day in the German top flight.

Werder Bremen had lost their previous five matches on the spin before travelling to Leverkusen, but took a surprise lead in the seventh minute when Romano Schmid capitalised on a defensive error from the hosts to slot home.

Aleix Garcia came closest to an equaliser in the first half when his free kick bounced off the crossbar in stoppage-time.

But things went from bad to worse for Xabi Alonso’s side in the second half when Florian Wirtz picked up an ankle injury nine minutes into the second half and had to come off.

Despite pressing for an equaliser, the breakthrough never came for the home side in a frustrating encounter. It would get even worse for them in the 94th minute, when Justin Njinmah made it 2-0 and sealed the win for the visitors.

The result lifts Werder Bremen to 12th in the table on 33 points, 13 above the relegation play-off place.

For Levekusen, meanwhile, they host Bayern Munich in the Champions League last-16 next as they attempt to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg.

3 – FC Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer 04 Leverkusen have all lost on the same Bundesliga matchday for the first time since MD20 in 2006-07. Surprising.

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) March 8, 2025

Data debrief: Leverkusen fluff lines

The defeat for Leverkusen, coupled with losses for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, means it was the first time all three have lost on the same matchday since the 2006-07 season.

While Leverkusen managed 18 shots on goal during the match, just four of those were on target and they only created opportunities worth 1.41 xG.

Werder Bremen, meanwhile, generated an xG of 1.23 during the game, which suggests that it was not as much of a smash-and-grab performance as one might have expected.