Werder Bremen ran out comfortable and convincing winners on the thirteenth match day of the season with a 3-1 (2-0) win at home to 1. FC Köln. The Green-Whites goals on the day were scored by...
Werder Bremen ran out comfortable and convincing winners on the thirteenth match day of the season with a 3-1 (2-0) win at home to 1. FC Köln. The Green-Whites goals on the day were scored by...
Werder Bremen ran out comfortable and convincing winners on the thirteenth match day of the season with a 3-1 (2-0) win at home to 1. FC Köln. The Green-Whites goals on the day were scored by Diego (15’ pen), Naldo (45’) and Hugo Almeida (55’), whilst Milivoje Novakovic (48') snatched a consolation for the visitors.
Werder had problems early on coming to terms with a very well organised opponent, but managed to take the lead with a penalty on the quarter hour mark. Former Werder full-back Pierre Wome shoved over Werder captain Frank Baumann as he broke through on goal and from the resulting penalty-kick, Diego coolly picked his spot and drove trainer Thomas Schaaf’s men into a 1-0 lead.
As the half progressed, 1. FC Köln increased the pressure on the home side but it was ironically during this period that Werder doubled their lead. Torsten Frings delivered a corner from the right and Naldo stormed in, climbing above fellow countryman Pedro Geromel, to head home powerfully and give his side a 2-0 lead going into the break.
Shortly after the re-start, the guests were back in the game, having reduced the deficit to 2-1. FC’s top scorer Milivoje Novakovic (48') took on a well weighted pass from Nemanja Vucicevic, skipped away from Per Mertesacker’s challenge and slotted cleverly past Tim Wiese from eleven meters out, giving his side hope of making a comeback.
Those expecting the Köln goal to cause panic amongst the Werder ranks were soon to be proven very wrong though. Within ten minutes, Thomas Schaaf’s men stunningly increased the difference to two goals once again. Köln’s central defender Geromel was only able to clear a delivery from substitute Dusko Tosic into the centre, where Hugo Almeida met the ball on the half volley and drove unstoppably into the top left corner from all of twenty meters out (55’) - 3-1 for Werder and the game was all over bar the shouting.
The game at a glance:
Werder Bremen: Wiese – Prödl (46‘ Tosic), Naldo, Mertesacker, Pasanen – Baumann, Frings, Hunt (76‘ Vranjes), Diego – Almeida (81‘ Rosenberg), Pizarro – On the bench: Mielitz, Husejinovic, Sanogo, Niemeyer
1.FC Köln: Mondragon – Brecko, Mohamad, Geromel, Wome – Petit, McKenna, Vucicevic (66’ Radu) – Pezzoni (66’ Sanou), Antar – Novakovic
Goals: 1-0 Diego (pen, 15’) 2-0 Naldo (45’), 2-1 Novakovic (48’), 3-1 Almeida (55’)
Referee: Schmidt (Stuttgart)
Attendance: 42,100 (sold out Weser-Stadion)
Yellow cards: Hunt - Antar, Brecko, Vucicevic, Novakovic
