Ex-Germany captain Michael Ballack was included in the starting line-up as Bayer Leverkusen gained their first win of the season yesterday. Czech midfielder Michal Kadlec’s late goal sealed a 1-0 win at home to Werder Bremen.

Last season’s German league runners-up have had a torrid time of late, throwing away a 3-0 lead at second division Dynamo Dresden two weeks ago in the German Cup to suffer a 4-3 defeat.

They were then beaten 2-0 at Mainz in the opening weekend of the Bundesliga season.

To add injury to insult, goalkeeper Fabian Giefer, who was filling in for injured Germany shot-stopper Rene Adler, was so badly concussed at Mainz that he suffered a complete memory blank.

Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt was forced to bring in teenage goalkeeper Bernd Leno from Stuttgart as emergency cover, and the 19-year-old stood up to the task before Kadlec’s 85th-minute winner gave his side victory.

Ballack captained Leverkusen for 83 minutes before he was replaced by regular Bayer captain Simon Rolfes who provided the final pass for Kadlec to score two minutes after coming off the bench.

Earlier, newly-promoted Augsburg drew 1-1 at Kaiserslautern to pick up their second draw of the season.

Bundesliga
Kaiserslautern vs Augsburg 1-1; B. Leverkusen vs W. Bremen 1-0.

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