Werder Bremen collected a hard-earned 1-0 victory at Hoffenheim on the 26th game day of the Bundesliga to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches. Bremen’s 42 points...
Werder Bremen collected a hard-earned 1-0 victory at Hoffenheim on the 26th game day of the Bundesliga to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches. Bremen’s 42 points...
Werder Bremen collected a hard-earned 1-0 victory at Hoffenheim on the 26th game day of the Bundesliga to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches. Bremen’s 42 points in the league leave them in sixth place. Claudio Pizarro scored the only goal of the game for Thomas Schaaf’s team.
Werder head coach Thomas Schaaf changed his starting line-up in two spots from the game in Valencia. Mesut Özil was replaced by Philipp Bargfrede and Hugo Almeida started in favour of Marko Marin. A sold-out crowd of 30,150 spectators in Hoffenheim saw an intense match in which neither team granted much space. Werder had the first chance of the game after 25 minutes on a counter attack through Aaron Hunt, who could not deliver a precise-enough pass to Tim Borowski in the box.
Werder were lucky just three minutes later as Carlos Eduardo had space but sent his 14-yard shot wide of the far left post. The next chance came at the 37-minute mark on a counter kick as the ball landed at the feet of Per Mertesacker, who could not beat Hoffenheim keeper Timo Hildebrand from four yards out. And Naldo headed over the framework a minute later as the game remained scoreless 0-0 at intermission.
Werder did not make any line-up changes at the break but could not solve Hoffenheim’s defensive system. Marko Marin was subbed in after 66 minutes for Aaron Hunt and Daniel Jensen replaced Torsten Frings shortly thereafter. Werder remained determined and patient to grab the game winner. And that finally came in the 80th minute as Jensen sent a high looping pass over the Hoffenheim backline to Pizarro, who looped his shot over Hildebrand for the only goal of the match.
The game at a glance:
1899 Hoffenheim: Hildebrand - Raitala (86’ Terrazino), Simunic, Compper, Eichner - Vukcevic, Weis, Salihovic, Carlos Eduardo (83’ Luiz Gustavo) - Maicosuel, Ibisevic (72’ Tagoe)
Werder Bremen: Wiese – Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Pasanen – Frings (68’ Jensen), Borowski, Bargfrede, Hunt (67’ Marin) - Pizarro, Almeida (90’ Rosenberg); auf der Bank: Vander – Prödl, Abdennour, Husejinovic
Goals: 0:1 (81’) Pizarro
Yellow cards: Simunic
Referee: Peter Sippel (Munich)
Rhein-Neckar-Arena: 31,150 spectators (sold out)
