Football Focus Highlight

A hat-trick from Stefan Kießling ensured a masterful Bayer Leverkusen returned to the Bundesliga summit on Sunday afternoon as they thumped a sorry VfB Stuttgart 4-0 at the BayArena.


Leverkusen went into the match as the only unbeaten team in Germany's top tier this term, while Markus Babbel's Stuttgart were looking for their first win in six. How the tables had turned since the corresponding fixture last season, when the Swabians ran out 4-2 away victors.



Line-up:

Leverkusen: Adler - Schwaab, M. Friedrich, Hyypiä, Castro (Sarpei 84') - Vidal (L.Bender 84'), Reinartz - Barnetta, Kroos - Kießling (Helmes 89'), Derdiyok

Stuttgart: Lehmann - Osorio, Tasci, Delpierre, Boka - Rudy, Träsch - Gebhart (Hilbert 46'), Hleb - Cacau (Schieber 46'), Pogrebnyak (Marica 73')

Goals: 1-0 Kießling (22'), 2-0 Derdiyok (39'), 3-0 Kießling (59'), 4-0 Kießling (87' pen)

Attendance: 30,210 (BayArena - sold out)