Werder Bremen finish the first round of games on top of the Bundesliga. On the 17th match day of the season, the Green-Whites beat VfL Wolfsburg 2:1 (1:1) to replace Schalke on top of the league over the winter break.
Werder Bremen finish the first round of games on top of the Bundesliga. On the 17th match day of the season, the Green-Whites beat VfL Wolfsburg 2:1 (1:1) to replace Schalke on top of the league over the winter break.
Werder Bremen finish the first round of games on top of the Bundesliga. On the 17th match day of the season, the Green-Whites beat VfL Wolfsburg 2:1 (1:1) to replace Schalke on top of the league over the winter break. In front of a 39,600 crowd, Daniel Jensen (17’) and Naldo (86’) got the goal for Thomas Schaaf’s team. The visitors equalised in the first half through Isaac Boakye.
Schaaf didn’t see much need to make many changes to the side which beat Frankfurt 6:2 . Clemens Fritz had to sit out the tie having picked up his fifth yellow card, leaving a place free for Petri Pasanen to get a start for the first time since the fifth match day of the season. Werder made a bright start but before they could launch a serious attack on Simon Jentzsch’s goal, the home side were made clear that their opponents were to be reckoned with. Cedrick Makiadi set Jacek Krzynowek but the Polish international couldn’t find a way past Tim Wiese in the Werder goal (4’). That was to be the first and last goal mouth scene for the visitors for a long time.
Jensen’s bicycle kick gives Werder the lead
Werder turned up the tempo and began to create chances of their own. Simon Jentzsch was forced to get down quickly to so turn away a header from Per Mertesacker (7’). The keeper was on hand to deny Miroslav Klose four minutes later from point blank range (11’). Two minutes later the VfL keeper had to be sharp to deny the German international (13’) and then in the 15th minute he was on hand again to prevent Christian Schulz giving the home side the lead. There was nothing the keeper could do though when a deflected effort from Klose fell to Daniel Jensen whose bicycle kick nestled neatly in the back of the net to make it 1:0 for the Green-Whites (17’).
Diego could have extended the Werder lead as he broke through with a stunning run but could only hit the outside netting (23’). As the Dutch VfL captain then brought down the Brazilian in the box, Werder’s number ten took on the task of taking the resulting penalty himself. The well hit strike hit the outside of the post and sprung away harmlessly (33’). Instead of it being 2:0, VfL managed a shock equaliser. From a half cleared corner the ball found it’s way back into the Werder box where Boakye reacted quickly and lobbed the ball over the stranded Wiese and a helpless Naldo to bring both sides into the half time break on level pegging (41’).
Wolfsburg better in the second half
Werder had difficulties producing the kind of football they had played in the first half. The Green-Whites best chances were reduced to long distance efforts from Torsten Frings (52’) and a ferocious 20 yard from Naldo (68’), which the Wolfsburg keeper could deal with easily. VfL themselves had much more joy in the second period . A shot from Diego Klimowicz was blocked down at the last second (72’). Shortly afterwards, Boakye turned Mertesacker in the six yard box and got a shot in but couldn’t beat Wiese (74’).
Klose came close with a header from ten meters out after a cross from Christian Schulz (74’) and that was then followed by two good chances for the Lower Saxon club through Klimowicz and the substitute Hans Sarpei (82’). At the end though it was Werder who made the breakthrough as Naldo hammered a free-kick from 24 meters unstoppably past the wall, leaving Jentzsch rooted to the spot (86’). In the 90th minute Tim Wises was called into action to deny Juan Carlos Menseguez who had broken free of his marker. When Klimowicz headed wide in added time then it was clear that Werder had the three points they needed to seal the pre-Christmas top spot and the ‘Winter Championship’.
Johnnie Muldoon
