Bremen end season on high with Cup final victory
BERLIN (Reuters) - Werder Bremen beat Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 on Saturday to win the German Cup for the sixth time and grab the last remaining European spot for next season.
Midfielder Mesut Ozil struck early in the second half with a low drive from inside the box to end Bremen''s rollercoaster season on a high note.
The win means Bremen, who lost the UEFA Cup final to Shakhtar Donetsk and finished a disappointing 10th in the league, will play in next season''s UEFA Cup successor, the Europa League.
Bremen were dominant throughout with Brazilian Diego, in his last match before joining Juventus, commanding the midfield and setting up Ozil for the winner with a clever through ball.
"We were under great pressure following the UEFA Cup final defeat," midfielder Torsten Frings told ARD television. "But we played a great game, we won and qualified for Europe next season."
Patrick Helmes could have put Leverkusen in the lead against the run of play after 22 minutes but he misfired after Renato Augusto had raced down the right and crossed for the unmarked striker.
Leverkusen had few chances after that, with Bremen central defender Naldo reigning supreme.
Bremen, far more hungry to salvage some silverware from a frustrating season, came close twice just before the break.
Hugo Almeida sent his header a fraction wide before Naldo headed on a Diego cross to force a reflex save from Rene Adler.
They managed to break the deadlock when Ozil raced down the left to meet a pin-point Diego pass and score with a shot that took a slight deflection off defender Manuel Friedrich.
Leverkusen staged a late fightback with Stefan Kiessling just failing to connect with several half-chances in the penalty area.