On the fourth match day in the group stage of the Champions League, Werder crashed to a 0-3 (0-0) home defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos Athens. 35,968 spectators at the capacity filled Weser Stadium...
On the fourth match day in the group stage of the Champions League, Werder crashed to a 0-3 (0-0) home defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos Athens. 35,968 spectators at the capacity filled Weser Stadium...
On the fourth match day in the group stage of the Champions League, Werder crashed to a 0-3 (0-0) home defeat at the hands of Panathinaikos Athens. 35,968 spectators at the capacity filled Weser Stadium saw the guests steal away all three points with goals from Evangelos Mantzios (58’), Georgios Karagounis (70’) and Alexandros Tziolis (83’).
In the first half, the fans in the stadium saw two evenly matched sides, with Werder slightly edging the upper hand. Diego had the first shot on goal in the game after six minutes, but the effort was turned away for a corner. Minutes later at the other end, Georgios Karagounis spotted Tim Wiese a good distance off his goal-line and swung in a free-kick from 25 meters, which eluded everyone and cracked off the underside of the crossbar before the Werder keeper could clear the danger (13’).
As the half progressed, the Green-Whites controlled the play and forced the passive visitors back into their own half of the pitch. The best openings fell to the Bremen strikers. Firstly Swedish striker Markus Rosenberg tested Panathinaikos keeper Mario Galinovic with a shot from distance (23’) and then Claudio Pizarro got his head to a Diego free-kick, but was also denied by the Croatian goalkeeper (29’). The final chance of the half also fell to Pizarro, following a delivery from Rosenberg, but the Peruvian striker was caught unawares and unable to get his shot away and the sides went in at the break locked at 0-0.
After the re-start the home side were then shocked early on. Taking on a pass from Alexandros Tziolis, striker Mantzios superbly turned Petri Pasanen and drove powerfully past Tim Wiese from 13 meters out to give the visitors the lead (58’). Werder didn’t deal with the set-back very well and twelve minutes later found themselves 0-2 down. Greek international Karagounis took on a throw in from Nikos Spiropoulos and hammered an unstoppable drive, on the volley, under the crossbar (70’).
Thomas Schaaf’s men sought some way back into the tie and had a chance from distance by Aaron Hunt (78’) and then a shot from Boubacar Sanogo, which Galinovic was able to turn away for a corner (80’), but there was to be no joy for the home side. On the contrary, in the 83rd minute, Panathinaikos decidedly rubbed salt into gaping Werder wounds with a shot by Tziolis, which took a wicked deflection off Pasanen and landed subsequently in the back of the net to seal a bitter 0-3 home defeat from Werder’s point of view.
The game at a glance:
Werder Bremen: Wiese – Prödl (46‘ Fritz/69‘ Sanogo), Mertesacker, Naldo, Pasanen – Baumann, Vranjes (64‘ Hunt), Özil, Diego – Pizarro, Rosenberg.
Panathinaikos Athen: Galinovic – Nilsson, Vintra, Sarriegi, Spiropoulos – Tziolis, Simao, Gilberto, Gabriel (75‘ Moon), Karagounis (79‘ Goumas) – Mantzios (88’ Salpingidis).
Goals: 0-1 Mantzios (58‘), 0-2 Karagounis (70‘), 0-3 Tziolis (83‘).
Bookings: -
Referee: Kassai (Hungary)
Attendance: 35,968 (sold-out Weser-Stadion)
