Berlin, March 5 Bayer Leverkusen strengthened its push for UEFA Champions League qualification with a 1-0 win over Hamburger SV in a rescheduled Bundesliga match from the 17th round on Wednesday.
Leverkusen started brightly. Montrell Culbreath headed wide from Ibrahim Maza's cross in the eighth minute and Martin Terrier then struck the crossbar with a volley, reported Xinhua.
Hamburg struggled to pose much threat before the break, while Leverkusen's pressure eased as halftime approached.
The pattern changed little after the restart. Edmond Tapsoba sent a header straight at Hamburg goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes, while at the other end Leverkusen goalie Janis Blaswich reacted calmly to deny Nicolai Remberg's close-range effort.
The breakthrough came in the 72nd minute when Maza chipped a precise pass into the area and Christian Kofane drove a powerful left-footed finish in under the crossbar.
Leverkusen stays sixth with 43 points, three behind third-place Hoffenheim and fourth-ranked Stuttgart, who occupy the Champions League places. Hamburg is 11th on 26 points, four clear of the relegation playoff spot.
"That was a deserved win. Credit to the team, we were brave and proactive and put Hamburg under pressure," said Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich.
Meanwhile, FC Barcelona defenders Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde suffered muscle injuries in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals on Tuesday.
Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Camp Nou Stadium, but failed to overturn the 4-0 first leg defeat and was eliminated 4-3 on aggregate.
Kounde was replaced by Balde in the 13th minute, only for the latter to also need to be taken off in the 71st minute.
Indications are that both players will be out of action for around a month, meaning they could return on April 5, when Barcelona returns to Atletico's Metropolitano Stadium in La Liga.
The pair will miss Saturday's La Liga game away to Athletic Bilbao and the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie against Newcastle United, as well as league games against Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano
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