Kiessling brace keeps Leverkusen in contention
Reuters - Sunday 14 March 2010, 19:35
BERLIN - Bundesliga top scorer Stefan
Kiessling struck once in either half to help give Bayer
Leverkusen a 4-2 win over Hamburg SV on Sunday and remain in the
title race three points off the top in third place.
Bayern Munich top the standings following their 2-1 win over
Freiburg on Saturday with Schalke 04 two points adrift in second
place after beating VfB Stuttgart by the same score.
Leverkusen's emphatic win put an end to any crisis talks
after the team had failed to win their last three matches and
had also suffered their first defeat of the season last week
against Nuremberg.
"The team really improved in the second half, calmed down
and became more accurate and we deserved to win. We reacted very
well after the equaliser," Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes told
reporters.
Kiessling, who has almost certainly booked a place in
Germany's World Cup squad with a stunning season so far, gave
his team the lead in the 22nd minute, against the run of play,
when he broke free and beat keeper Frank Rost with a well-placed
low drive.
ERRATIC ADLER
The hosts, without suspended playmaker Toni Kroos, failed to
hold on to their lead when Hamburg equalised through former
Leverkusen player Ze Roberto in the 33rd, following a blunder by
Germany keeper Rene Adler, who failed to clear the ball after
colliding with team mate Sami Hyypia.
Adler has been named as the starting Germany keeper but was
far from consistent for the third straight game, after errors in
Germany's friendly with Argentina and against Nuremberg in the
league last week.
Leverkusen, however, regained control and their early
second-half pressure paid off when Eren Derdiyok rose to connect
with a deep Daniel Schwaab cross to head home his 12th goal of
the season in the 55th minute.
Kiessling notched his second of the evening in the 62nd when
Renato Augusto crossed from the right and the Germany
international shrugged off defender Guy Demel to give his team a
two-goal cushion with a diving header.
Hamburg briefly thought they were still in with a fighting
chance when David Rozehnal pulled one back from close range in
the 83rd but 30 seconds later Gonzalo Castro sealed the win for
the hosts with a powerful shot at the edge of the box.
In Sunday's other match, Werder Bremen beat hosts Hoffenheim
1-0 courtesy of Claudio Pizarro's 11th goal of the season, to
move up to 42 points, one behind Hamburg who are fifth, and
remain in the hunt for a European spot.
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