Werder Bremen reached the semi-finals of the German DFB Cup with a 5-2 victory at Wolfsburg. In front of 24,115 spectators in Wolfsburg, Diego (3', 55' pen), and Claudio Pizarro (71', 89') both scored twice while Mesut Özil...
Werder Bremen reached the semi-finals of the German DFB Cup with a 5-2 victory at Wolfsburg. In front of 24,115 spectators in Wolfsburg, Diego (3', 55' pen), and Claudio Pizarro (71', 89') both scored twice while Mesut Özil...
Werder Bremen reached the semi-finals of the German DFB Cup with a 5-2 victory at Wolfsburg. In front of 24,115 spectators in Wolfsburg, Diego (3', 55' pen), and Claudio Pizarro (71', 89') both scored twice while Mesut Özil (7') also hit for the winners. Edin Dzeko (10', 42') tallied two goals for Wolfsburg.
The game started with plenty of fireworks. The Werder fans celebrated just three minutes into the game. After a long ball down the left side Pizarro passed off to Diego, who got by his Brazilian compatriot Josué and struck home flat into the lower left corner for the early lead. The Bremen celebrations had hardly subsided when Werder hit the back of the net again. Pizarro fed Özil in the seventh minute and the German international beat Wolfsburg keeper Diego Benaglio from a tight angle for a 2-0 lead.
But the hosts evened the game even before half-time. Wolfsburg's first real attack proved successful as Dzeko pulled the first goal back in the 10th minute after a fine cross from Marcel Schäfer. Werder dominated the run of play, especially through an excellent Diego on the left side. But Bremen saw Clemens Fritz go off with an injury after 34 minutes. And Wolfsburg got stronger near the end of the first half and Dzeko hit the equaliser three minutes before the break, heading Peter Pekarik's long cross over Werder replacement keeper Nico Pellatz for a 2-2 score-line at intermission.
The spectators did not have to wait long after the re-start to see more scoring - despite the now more defensive minded formations. Ten minutes into the second half, Diego was all alone in front of Benaglio, curved the Swiss keeper and was brought down. And the playmaker converted the penalty himself (55') to make it 3-2.
Wolfsburg were clearly aggravated and Werder began showing the class their fans wished they would show every game. Bremen doubled the lead in the 71st minute as Diego's curling free kick found Hugo Almeida, who passed to Pizarro for a shot into the lower right corner to make it 4-2. And Pizarro supplied the final result by pouncing on a loose ball after an Almeida shot in the 89th minute. And Werder were returning to the Cup semis.
The game at a glance:
VfL Wolfsburg: Benaglio – Pekarik, Simunek, Barzagli, Schäfer - Josue, Schindzielorz (57' Dejagah), Gentner, Misimovic (74' Okubu) – Dzeko, Grafite
Werder Bremen: Pellatz – Fritz (34' Boenisch), Naldo, Mertesacker, Pasanen – Frings, Jensen, Özil (86' Tziolis), Diego – Rosenberg (69' Almeida), Pizarro
Goals: 0-1 Diego (3'), 0-2 Özil (7'), 1-2 Dzeko (10'), 2-2 Dzeko (42'), 2-3 Diego (55', penalty), 2-4 Pizarro (71'), 2-5 Pizarro (88')
Attendance: 24,115 (Volkswagen-Arena)
Referee: Thorsten Kinhöfer (Herne)
Yellow cards: Pekarik, Benaglio, Josué – Rosenberg, Naldo, Mertesacker
