After the eleventh match day of the season, the league leaders remain Werder Bremen. 37,500 fans at easyCredit-Stadium in Nuremberg saw the Green-Whites mark their tenth match in their latest unbeaten run with a 2:1 (1:0) away win. Torsten Frings put the visitors ahead just on the half hour and Diego doubled the Green-Whites lead late on (79’). Ivica Banovic found the net from the penalty spot in added time but it was too little, too late for the hosts.
The bulk of the Werder squad, who had been suffering from flu, were apparently over the worst and trainer Thomas Schaaf saw no need to change the starting eleven which he had sent out in the previous five appearances. The visitors had difficulties finding their way into the match with Nuremberg having set up a very solid defensive wall which loomed down on Werder from the midfield and prevented them from combining to create chances on goal.
Mertesacker and Naldo in top form
At the Werder end, Per Mertesacker was called into action to clear for a corner from markus Schroth (12’). The resulting set piece saw Dominik Reinhardt break unmarked to a free header which he, luckily for the visitors, failed to get on target. Naldo was then called upon to block a shot from Jawhar Mnari at the edge of the box but the visitors were slowly beginning to come to terms with the hosts set up. Diego got on the end of a pass from Torsten Frings but unfortunately didn’t make a clean connection with the ball which then trickled back to keeper Schäfer (30’). Then, after Mertesacker had gotten back to prevent Marek mintal from getting a shot away at the Werder end, Torsten Frings bent in a shot to change the face of the game (32’).
The German international took a pass on from Diego at the edge of the Nuremberg penalty area and foiled Javier Pinola with a neat back heal before curling a bobbling shot just inside the post from 19 meters to give Werder a 1:0 lead. Nuremberg appeared completely unaffected by the deficit and Naldo was called into action twice to lunge in and clear from the feet of Robert Vittek at the very last possible moment (36’/43’). Shortly before the break Aaron Hunt had the chance to extend the Bremen lead but dragged his shot wide.
For the second period, Christian Schulz replaced Frank Baumann who again felt some pain in his Achilles tendon. Frings slipped back into the defensive midfield position to allow Jurica Vranjes to push out right and Schulz to rumble down the left flank. The home side upped the pressure and had the majority of the play and possession but never really managed to test the Werder goal keeper or even break down the strong defensive duo of Mertesacker and Naldo. At the other end Nuremberg had keeper Schäfer to thank for denying Diego who had broken free on his own with the goal almost at his mercy (68’).
Diego’s unstoppable free-kick
The only half chance which the host side had to equalise was through a Pinola free-kick which sailed over the heads of friend and foe and then hopped up just in front of Tim Wiese who got down to punch the danger clear (70’). From a foul on Hunt Werder were offered their chance to do some damage from a set piece and Diego stepped up to curl his effort from 22 meters inside the right post, out of the reach of the keeper, to make it 2:0 (79’).
Nuremberg refused to give up the fight and had the chance to reduce the deficit through Marek Mintal who, with only Wiese to beat, decided to lay the ball square into no-mans-land and out of the danger zone (84’). Ex-Bremen man Banovic hit the outside of the Werder post with an effort in the 86th minute but he would have another chance to score on his ex-club in added time when Mertesacker brought down Leon Benko in the box and referee Manuel Gräfe awarded a penalty. Banovic sent Wiese the wrong way to make it 1:2 but seconds later it was Werder doing the celebrating at the final whistle.