Bundesliga - A Change at the Top

Football champion Bayern Munich surrendered its lead in the German first division after losing 1-0 against Werder Bremen on Saturday. The team had not lost in the Bundesliga since a 1-0 defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach in their opening match in July.

The game saw the return of captain Stefan Effenberg after more than three months on the sidelines with a foot injury. But the playmaker failed to impress. Werder won through a penalty shot from Ukraine defender Viktor Skripnik just four minutes before halftime.

"I didn't want to lose twice against a German team in the same week," Skripnik said, a reference to Germany's 4-1 win over Ukraine last week in the World Cup qualifier.

Leverkusen Remains Strong Opponent

Bayer 04 Leverkusen, unbeaten after 13 matches, is now at the top following a 2-1 win over local rival Cologne. The team managed to turn around the game from 0-1, thanks to goals by strikers Ulf Kirsten and Oliver Neuville.

Things are looking rough now for Cologne, which played most of the second half with only ten men. Jens Keller was ordered off the field in the 52nd minute for repeated foul play. Cologne had its seventh loss in a row and is now in a relegation position in the division.

But the season still has a long way to go. Neuville pointed out that it's way too early to name Bayer 04 Leverkusen the German champion. "What counts is the last day of the season," he said.

Other Results

Struggling to reach join the ranks at the top are 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Borussia Dortmund. Both teams won at the weekend. Dortmund beat 1860 Munich 3-1. St. Pauli, which holds the bottom spot in the division, lost 1-5 against Kaiserslautern.

The other candidate in a relegation position is 1. FC Nürnberg. But it managed to beat Hansa Rostock 2-0. The battle for the middle division positions between VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg ended 3-0.

In further games, Hertha BSC beat VfL Wolfsburg 2-0. Hamburger SV and FC Schalke 04 parted ways in a 0-0 draw. Borussia Mönchengladbach and Energie Cottbus also played 0-0.

Countdown to the Champions League

Bayern Munich faces Manchester United in an eagerly anticipated Champions League second phase clash on Tuesday in Munich.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen heads to Italy to play Juventus FC Turin on Wednesday.