Werder Bremen suffered a 1-0 loss at Cologne on the 30th game day. Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute in front of 50,000 spectators...
Werder Bremen suffered a 1-0 loss at Cologne on the 30th game day. Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute in front of 50,000 spectators...
Werder Bremen suffered a 1-0 loss at Cologne on the 30th game day. Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic scored the only goal of the game in the 61st minute in front of 50,000 spectators.
Werder coach Thomas Schaaf had a very limited squad against Cologne with Hugo Almeida (flesh wound), Diego (back), Mesut Özil (knee), Christian Vander, Petri Pasanen, Aaron Hunt, Daniel Jensen and Torsten Frings (yellow card suspension) all unavailable. Instead, Schaaf added Markus Rosenberg, Frank Baumann, Jurica Vranjes and Peter Niemeyer among others to the starting formation.
In a generally poorly played game against defensive orientated Cologne, Werder had the first chance. Vranjes fed Rosenberg with a fine pass in the 12th minute and the Swedish striker raced towards Cologne keeper Faryd Mondragon along with Claudio Pizarro. But Rosenberg was unable to give Bremen the lead, shooting left of goal instead of passing onto Pizarro. Only four minutes later, Vranjes was off with his shot from 15 yards. Schaaf’s team was the better side over the rest of the first half but the offense lacked the finishing touch as the teams went into the break dead-locked 0-0.
The second half began with a good chance for Cologne as Novakovic suddenly had plenty of space in front of Bremen keeper Tim Wiese in the 51st minute before failing to convert. Schaaf’s men failed to find their concentration and gave up the decisive goal in the 61st minute. Novakovic collected a pass from Nemanja Vucicevic and then left Baumann, Clemens Fritz and Sebastian Boenisch watching as he pushed home the 1-0 goal into Bremen’s goal. After falling behind, Bremen could not get back into the game and regretted their missed chances from the first half, eventually losing 1-0.
The game at a glance:
Cologne:
Mondragon - Brecko, McKenna, Mohamad, Wome - Matip, Pezzoni - Sanou (Brosinski 85’), Vucicevic (Boateng 90’), Ehret (Yalcin 88’) - Novakovic
Werder Bremen:
Wiese - Prödl (Harnik 46’), Mertesacker, Naldo, Boenisch - Baumann - Niemeyer (Perthel 72’), Vranjes (Fritz 22’) - Tziolis - Rosenberg, Pizarro
Goal: 1-0 Novakovic (61’)
Yellow Card: Prödl, Fritz, Boenisch
Referee: Michael Weiner (Giesen)
Rhein-Energie-Stadion: 50,000 spectators (sold-out)
