Sports News | Augsburg Deals Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen a 2nd Straight Loss

Augsburg, Feb 4 (AP) Mergim Berisha scored for Augsburg to beat Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 and deal the visitors their second consecutive Bundesliga defeat.

Berisha capitalized on some poor Leverkusen defending to head in Arne Engels' corner for what proved to be the winning goal in the 55th minute on Friday.

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Leverkusen's second straight defeat after last Sunday's 2-0 loss at Borussia Dortmund dented the club's hopes of European qualification. That defeat in Dortmund was the team's first after five straight wins.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso sent on young star Florian Wirtz for the last half hour, then more attacking players as the time dwindled, but none were able to force an equalizer against the home team's tightly packed defense.

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Moussa Diaby went closest for Leverkusen when he struck the post in a scrappy first half.

Augsburg climbed five points above the relegation zone while Leverkusen remained stuck in ninth place ahead of the rest of the 19th round. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)