Thanks to an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Tim Wiese, Werder Bremen booked their spot in the German DFB Cup final. Per Mertesacker (11') gave Werder the lead in the first half...
Thanks to an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Tim Wiese, Werder Bremen booked their spot in the German DFB Cup final. Per Mertesacker (11') gave Werder the lead in the first half...
Thanks to an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Tim Wiese, Werder Bremen booked their spot in the German DFB Cup final. Per Mertesacker (11') gave Werder the lead in the first half and Ivica Olic (67') equalised in the second half. The game was knotted 1-1 at the end of regulation and Hamburg was forced to play extra time with ten men after David Jarolim was shown the red card just before the final whistle of regular time. Neither team could score in extra time and the game went to a shoot-out. And Wiese became the hero of the match, stopping three consecutive penalties, sending the Green-Whites into wild celebrations.
Werder started well in the match and Hugo Almeida had a fine chance after just six minutes to grab the lead but he narrowly missed Mesut Özil's cross. But the Green-Whites were able to celebrate five minutes later with the 1-0 lead. Diego's free kick blasted against the crossbar and Per Mertesacker was quickest to the ball to pounce home from short distance. Head coach Thomas Schaaf's team remained the dominant side throughout the rest of the first half and deserved the lead at the break.
Hamburg increased their push forward in the second half but the Werder back line stood solid. Still the hosts were able to equalise in the 67th minute as Olic deflected home Guy Demel's shot for the 1-1 equaliser. The game remained exciting over the rest of regulation time. And Hamburg captain David Jarolim was shown the red card in the waning moments for his attack on Özil along the sideline. And Werder went into extra time with a man advantage.
Bremen tried to use the advantage straight away for the lead and had a couple of chances but could not convert. It remained 1-1 at the end of the first half of extra time. Both teams played things safely though both sides had one top chance in the second half of extra time. But neither was successful and the game went to penalty kicks.
Seconds before the end of extra time, Werder keeper Tim Wiese made a tremendous stop on Jonathan Pitroipa. And the Bremen keeper was the hero again in the shoot-out. After Joris Mathijsen and Claudio Pizarro both converted from the spot, the German international keeper stopped Jerome Boateng's attempt and then that of Olic. Özil and Torsten Frings scored their penalties before Hamburg defender Marcel Jansen stepped up to the spot but could not score on Wiese, who stopped his third straight penalty and sent Bremen into the German DFB Cup final in Berlin, where they face off against Bayer Leverkusen on 30 May.
Hamburg:
Rost − Mathijsen, Demel, Gravgaard, Jansen − Alex Silva, Jarolim, Aogo (61' Trochowski) − Olic, Petric (67' Boateng), Guerrero (46' Pitroipa); reserves: Hesl, Ndjeng, Tavares, Benjamin
Werder Bremen:
Wiese − Fritz, Naldo, Mertesacker, Boenisch − Baumann (105' Tziolis), Frings, Özil, Diego − Pizarro, Hugo Almeida (85' Rosenberg); reserves: Vander, Tošiæ, Vranjes, Prödl, Niemeyer
Goals: 0-1 Mertesacker (11'), 1-1 Olic (67'); Penalty shoot-out: 2-1 Mathijsen, 2-2 Pizarro, Wiese stops Boateng, 2-3 Özil, Wiese stops Olic, 2-4 Frings, Wiese stops Jansen
Yellow cards: Guerrero, Alex Silva, Mathijsen, Demel − Hugo Almeida
Red card: Jarolim (90'+2, severe foul)
Referee: Knut Kircher (Rottenburg)
HSH Nordbank Arena: 55,237 Spectators