Bayer 04 Leverkusen needed an 85th-minute goal from defender Michal Kadlec to beat Werder Bremen 1-0 on Sunday for their first points of the season.
The Czech leftback slotted home a pass from substitute Simon Rolfes, the ball going in off the post.
Kadlec had come close eight minutes earlier when his free-kick was palmed away by Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese.
Photo: Reuters
Michael Ballack made his first start of the season for Leverkusen and Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro was included in Bremen’s squad as a substitute after his long injury lay-off.
Lennart Thy missed a glorious first-half chance for Werder when he fired over the bar from 3m out.
In Sunday’s other game, Israeli striker Itay Shechter snatched an 80th-minute equalizer to rescue a 1-1 draw for Kaiserslautern against visitors Augsburg.
The Bundesliga newcomers struck after 10 minutes when Sascha Moelders was sent through to fire in his third goal in two games, but new signing Shechter weaved through the Augsburg defense and released a powerful left-footed low drive to level.
The promoted Bavarians were better in the first half and missed a string of clear chances to double their lead, with Kaiserslautern looking out of sorts.
The hosts upped the tempo in the second half and came close more than half a dozen times, only to be denied by goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch.
He could do nothing, though, to stop 24-year-old Shechter’s missile from just inside the box that gave Kaiserslautern their first point from two games.
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