Bayer Leverkusen finish in fourth

Bayer Leverkusen sealed Champions League qualification by beating Werder Bremen 2-1.

Bayer Leverkusen sealed Champions League qualification on the final day of the Bundesliga season, but had to come from behind against Werder Bremen to do so. Goals from Omer Toprak and Son Heung-min sealed a 2-1 success which ensured Leverkusen held off the challenge of Wolfsburg to claim fourth place and entry into the play-offs for Europe's top competition. Their caretaker coach Sascha Lewandowski signed off with a record of four wins and a draw. It could have been different, with Theodor Gebre Selassie's early goal putting Bremen ahead, but Leverkusen's fightback meant the visitors had to settle for a 12th-place finish. Leverkusen looked to be in control of proceedings until Aaron Hunt slipped the ball through to Gebre Selassie, who at full stretch was still able to guide his shot into the top left-hand corner. With Wolfsburg winning against Borussia Monchengladbach, there were more than a few concerned faces in the stands of the BayArena, but their team responded well. Bremen failed to clear their lines from a corner and Son lifted the ball back into the danger area for Toprak to head past Raphael Wolf for his first goal of the season. Leverkusen completed their comeback in the 53rd minute with Son's 10th goal of the season. Simon Rolfes' shot was deflected back for Eren Derdiyok, whose header struck the crossbar, but the South Korean made no mistake on the rebound to sweep Leverkusen in front and back above Wolfsburg in the standings. It proved to be enough to win the game, but not without a long nail-biting period before the final whistle was blown. All Bremen could muster, though, was a Nils Petersen header which failed to threaten Bernd Leno and Leverkusen held on.