Freiburg beats Bremen to boost Champions League hopes
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BERLIN (AP) — Freiburg came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1 in the Bundesliga, boosting its chances of Champions League qualification, while Union Berlin remained third Sunday despite a 1-1 draw with Bochum.
Quick-fire goals from Freiburg's Roland Sallai and Lucas Höler canceled Maximilian Philipp’s opener for Bremen and lifted their team one point behind fourth-place Leipzig.
Höler headed the ball on for Sallai to score Freiburg’s 1,000th Bundesliga goal in the 67th minute, four minutes before Sallai returned the favor for Höler to head the 1,001st.
The Bundesliga’s top four teams qualify for Europe’s premier competition. Six rounds remain after this weekend’s games.
UNION SETTLES FOR POINT
Union's draw with Bochum was enough to stay third — now just one point ahead of Leipzig — after the Köpenick-based team lost last weekend at Borussia Dortmund.
But it could have been worse after Union defender Paul Jaeckel was sent off in the 62nd with a second yellow card and Bochum pushed for a winner to boost its survival hopes.
Bochum was already without captain Anthony Losilla because of suspension and the visitors were dealt a further blow when defender Keven Schlotterbeck went off early with a thigh injury.
Union fans called Schlotterbeck, who played for the home team for the 2019-20 season, a “fussball gott” (soccer god) as he limped off the field.
Josip Juranovic scored for Union with a brilliant free kick just before halftime.
Bochum emerged with more intent for the second half and was duly rewarded when Aïssa Laïdouni conceded a penalty for kicking Ivan Ordets. Kevin Stöger equalized from the spot in the 55th.
Union forward Kevin Behrens thought he’d scored after Jaeckel was sent off when his shot crashed off the post and rebounded in off Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann’s back, but the goal was ruled out through VAR for offside.
Behrens also missed a chance for a late winner.
Sixth-place Bayer Leverkusen was held at Wolfsburg 0-0 in the late game.
Earlier Sunday, last-place Hertha Berlin fired Sandro Schwarz as coach and re-appointed Pál Dárdai for his third stint in charge in a bid to escape relegation.
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