Promoted Leipzig beats Bremen 3-1 to move 2nd in Bundesliga

Naby Keita struck twice as promoted Leipzig continued its remarkable run by beating Werder Bremen 3-1 yesterday to go second in the Bundesliga.

Keita scored in both halves as Leipzig, still unbeaten for a Bundesliga record eight games, closed to within two points of leader Bayern Munich.

Keita broke the deadlock minutes before the break. The Guinea midfielder had a fortunate bounce of the ball to get past one defender, produced a quick turn of foot to go past another, and then rounded the goalkeeper to score his third league goal from a closing angle.

Serge Gnabry might have equalized after the break but Leipzig defender Bernardo made a crucial intervention to cut out Theodor Gebre Selessie’s cross. Bremen hit the post from the resulting corner.

Visiting ‘keeper Felix Wiedwald made a good save to deny Emil Forsberg from distance and then Yussuf Poulsen from

But Keita grabbed his second with 15 minutes remaining, heading home former Bremen striker Davie Selke’s perfect cross. The 21-year-old Selke, who started on the bench, had been Bremen’s great hope for the future before switching between the sides last year.

Gnabry pulled one back a minute later, sliding in to reach a cross after Ousman Manneh had surged through the middle.

Selke rubbed salt in the visitors’ wounds with the third goal on a counterattack deep in injury time. He didn’t celebrate.

Leipzig had been the first promoted side to remain unbeaten after seven Bundesliga games since Kaiserslautern in 1997-98. ‘Lautern, which lost its eighth game, went on to win the title that season.

In the second match yesterday, Schalke trashed Mainz with a comfortable 3-0 victory. the rebound.

GERMANY Bundesliga

Yesterday RB Leipzig-SV Werder Bremen ......... 3-1 Schalke-Mainz .................................. 3-0

Standings

Bayern Munich 8 RB Leipzig 8 Hertha Berlin 8 Hoffenheim 8 1. FC Koln 8 Dortmund 8 Eint. Frankfurt 8 Freiburg 8 Mainz 8 B. M’gladbach 8 B. Leverkusen 8 Augsburg 8 Darmstadt 8 Schalke 8 Werder Bremen 8 Wolfsburg 8 Ingolstadt 8 Hamburger SV 8 6 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 2 3 2 4 3 2 2 0 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 3 2 2 0 20 4 0 15 6 1 14 9 0 16 10 1 13 6 2 20 10 2 13 8 4 10 12 3 14 15 3 10 12 4 11 12 4 7 11 4 8 15 5 10 11 5 10 21 4 5 11 6 7 17 6 2 15 20 18 17 16 15 14 14 12 11 11 10 8 8 7 7 6 2 2