Berisha fires Augsburg to home win over Leverkusen

Augsburg striker Mergim Berisha scored a crucial second-half goal to secure a 1-0 Bundesliga victory against Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.

Berisha headed in from a corner after 55 minutes, helping an injured Augsburg to just their sixth win of the season.

Chances were scarce in a first half played in sweltering Bavarian rain.

Leverkusen’s French striker Moussa Diaby had beaten Augsburg goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz in the 30th minute, but his floating shot hit the post.

Augsburg took the lead ten minutes into the second half, teenage midfielder Arne Engels curled in a corner to find Berisha unmarked in the penalty area.

Berisha headed the ball past Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. The goal was Berisha’s sixth for Augsburg since the German striker joined the Bavarian side on loan from Turkish club Fenerbahce in August.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso brought in creative midfielder Florian Wirtz to try and kick-start his struggling attack and the German teenager looked sharp and created a number of chances behind the Augsburg defence.

With just over ten minutes remaining, Alonso brought in England striker Callum Hudson-Odoi, but the Chelsea mercenary was unable to find a breakthrough as Leverkusen fell to Alonso for the first time to a second successive league defeat.

With the remaining games of the round left to play, Leverkusen are in ninth place, but could finish the weekend as low as twelfth depending on other results.

For Augsburg, the victory was only their second since the beginning of October, but the team were five points clear of the relegation playoff spot.

AFP

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