Werder Bremen opened their UEFA Europa League with a perfect start by beating CD Nacional Funchal 3-2 on the road. Torsten Frings scored once and Claudio Pizarro struck twice...
Werder Bremen opened their UEFA Europa League with a perfect start by beating CD Nacional Funchal 3-2 on the road. Torsten Frings scored once and Claudio Pizarro struck twice...
Werder Bremen opened their UEFA Europa League with a perfect start by beating CD Nacional Funchal 3-2 on the road. Torsten Frings scored once and Claudio Pizarro struck twice in a hard battle for Thomas Schaaf’s team.
Werder better
Werder had to play without Mesut Özil (knee problems), who was replaced by Aaron Hunt. Thomas Schaaf’s team was first to grab control of the game in front of 4,000 spectators at Estadio de Madeira, having more run of play while the Portuguese stayed compact defensively in front of their goal.
Frings hands Bremen lead
Claudio Pizarro had the first big chance of the game in the 17th minute with a fine header stopped by Funchal keeper Rafael Bracali. At the other end, Bremen stopper Tim Wiese showed his ability by fending away a header from Edgar from near distance, keeping the game scoreless in the 32nd. Pizarro was brought down in the box in the 39th minute and Torsten Frings converted somewhat luckily to make it 1-0, which was also the score at the break.
Pizarro sends Werder celebrating
The hosts improved their game in the second half and put Werder under pressure. But Bremen used the counter-attack to double their lead on the Portuguese in the 55th minute, with Pizarro pushing the lead to 2-0. Werder suddenly lost their concentration and Lopez cut in half the advantage after a corner, leaping over Naldo in the 68th minute. Another Bremen defensive miscue knotted the game at 2-2 in the 78th minute as Rafik Halliche stood alone in front of Wiese and struck home. Just as it seemed that the contest would end in a draw, Pizarro struck his second goal, sending the some 100 Werder fans travelling to Portugal into celebrations.
CD Nacional Funchal: Bracali – Aurelio, Lopes, Halliche, Wellington (46’ Mateus) – Monteiro, Micael, Alberto – Edgar, Pecnik (46’ Tomasevic), Salino (58’ Amuneke)
Werder Bremen: Wiese – Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Boenisch – Frings, Borowski, Bargfrede, Marin (74’ Niemeyer) – Hunt, Pizarro (92’ Moreno); reserves: Vander – Pasanen, Rosenberg
Goals: 0-1 (39’) Frings, 0-2 (55’) Pizarro, 1-2 (68’) Felipe, 2-2 (76’) Halliche, 2-3 (85’) Pizarro
Yellow card: Bargfrede (Werder Bremen)
Estádio da Madeira: 4,000 spectators
