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BUNDES LIGA: Grafite caps disastrous week for Werder Bremen

Grafite scored a breakaway goal on Sunday to cap a disastrous week for Werder Bremen and lift VfL Wolfsburg to a 1-0 win in the Bundesliga.

The Brazilian forward scored in the 50th minute as Bremen blew a chance to take advantage of Bayern Munich's shock 2-0 loss to last-place Energie Cottbus on Saturday. Instead of closing within four points, Bremen tumbled from second to fourth.

Bremen's miserable week finished after a UEFA Cup exit and a 6-3 loss to VfB Stuttgart. Most of its starters were injured, with key midfielder Diego suspended.

"Naturally this was disappointing," Bremen midfielder Sebastian Boehnisch said. "We wasted a chance with Bayern. But the season still has 10 rounds, so maybe they will give us a chance again."

Bayern leads the league with 50 points, followed by Hamburg with 45, Bayer Leverkusen with 44 and Bremen with 43.

Leverkusen moved ahead of Bremen with a 4-1 win over FC Nuremberg after the young team experienced a good week.

Sunday's win lifted it into place for a Champions League berth, three days after the club reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

Next week, Leverkusen travels to Bayern.

"We're young, we're hungry, we want more," Leverkusen midfielder Gonzalo Castro said.

Wolfsburg caught Bremen regularly on breakaways, with a sliding Naldo preventing Grafite from another second-half goal by breaking up a pass at the last second.

The winner came when Marcelinho passed to Grafite, who rifled in the winning goal. Midfielder Clemens Fritz was back alone on the break as the two Wolfsburg players bore down.

Also on Sunday it was: Schalke 2, Duisburg 1; Hamburg 1, Borussia Dortmund 0; Karlruher SC 0, Eintracht Frankfurt 1; Bochum 1, VfB Stuttgart 1; Hansa Rostock 0, Hertha Berlin 0; and Hannover 96 2, Arminia Bielefeld 2.
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