Hertha into drop zone after loss

Hertha Berlin were pushed into the Bundesliga's bottom two by Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday with Stefan Kiessling scoring the only goal of the game at the Olympiastadion.The German striker struck early in the second half to extend Berlin's losing streak to three matches and increase the pressure on their coach Jos Luhukay.To compound Berlin's woes, they lost Sebastian Langkamp to a red card in the last minute of the game.Leverkusen slipped to sixth at the weekend when they only managed to pick up a draw against bottom-of-the-table Borussia Dortmund, but they were keen on getting more than just a point from their trip to the capital.Hertha should have gone in front with their first attack, though, as Japan midfielder Hajime Hosogai sent a free header into the post from close range.Leverkusen dominated the possession and seemed more like the home team in the Olympiastadion, although clear-cut chances were had to come by, which is why Hakan Calhanoglu tried his luck from distance just before half-time, giving Thomas Kraft his first piece of work to do.Early in the second half, Kraft was beaten by Leverkusen's second shot on target with Kiessling turning in Wendell's cross from six yards out.The goal gave Leverkusen confidence and they had chances to double their lead, but Kiessling failed to beat Kraft in a one-on-one situation to keep the deficit to just the solitary goal.A second goal was not ultimately required as Hertha lacked any ideas to find an equaliser, letting their frustration get the better of them when Langkamp picked up a second yellow card in the last minute, at least saving himself from the chorus of boos which greeted the final whistle.