BERLIN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Bruma's late goal secured Leipzig a hard earned 3-2 against resilient Werder Bremen at the 17th round of Bundesliga on Saturday.
Leipzig and Bremen staged a lively opening period with opportunities at both ends of the pitch as Marcel Sabitzer came close in the 8th minute before Milot Rahica's shot on the empty goal was blocked by Lukas Klostermann six minutes later.
Klostermann remained in the thick of things as he broke the deadlock after having a lot of time and space to unleash a hammer from 14 meters into the roof of the net with 22 minutes into the game.
The hosts gained momentum but it were Bremen who helped the home side to double the lead as Max Kruse's return pass to goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka was intercepted by Timo Werner, who made no mistake from very close range in the 44th minute.
After the restart, Leipzig had the chance to triple the lead but Pavlenka was on guard to deny Ibrahima Konate's promising header on target.
Bremen slowly but surely gained a foothold into the clash and reduced the arrears with 67 minutes played when Max Kruse slotted home a fast break with a low shot into the bottom right corner.
The visitors continued on the front foot and leveled the scores 10 minutes later as Yuya Osako took on two defenders before passing into the path of substitute Joshua Sargent, who hammered home the two-all draw.
However, Leipzig had the last laugh after substitute Bruma capitalized on a pinpoint square pass from Marcel Halstenberg to curl the 3-2 winner from inside the penalty area with three minutes remaining on the game clock.
With the result, Leipzig will overwinter on the fourth place of the standings which is direct UEFA Champions League spot meanwhile Werder Bremen slipped to the 10th position
Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen eased 3-1 past Hertha Berlin as Kai Havertz provided a brace.
After four winless games in row Schalke returned to winning ways after beating struggling Stuttgart 3-1.
Newly promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf reaped their third consecutive win, as Oliver Finks' sole goal was enough to down bottom side Hannover and last placed Nuremberg lost 1-0 to Freiburg.
The following fixtures conclude the 17th round on Sunday: Augsburg host Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim face Mainz.
