Almeida's Late Show Puts Werder In The Driving Seat

First Team
Friday, 09.03.2007 / 10:23

Werder Bremen took first blood in their UEFA Cup last sixteen first leg tie, beating Celta Vigo 0:1 in Spain. It was an evenly matched game in front of a paltry 9,236 spectators at the Estadio Balaídos during which Werder had the better of the play but it took until the 86th minute before substitute Hugo Almeida popped up with a winner.

Werder Bremen took first blood in their UEFA Cup last sixteen first leg tie, beating Celta Vigo 0:1 in Spain. It was an evenly matched game in front of a paltry 9,236 spectators at the Estadio Balaídos during which Werder had the better of the play but it took until the 86th minute before substitute Hugo Almeida popped up with a winner. The Green-Whites are now in a strong position for the second leg which will take place on Wednesday, 14.03.2007 at the Weser Stadium.

 

Werder coach Thomas Schaaf fielded the same eleven to start the game that so comfortably beat VfL Bochum 3:0 at the weekend, which meant Torsten Frings, who had been struggling all week, was fit again. The hosts, on the other hand, made four changes to the eleven which started in their defeat to Valencia in the Spanish league last week.

 

Early openings for Werder

 

Werder got off to a good start. With two minutes on the clock a Diego cross from a free-kick reached Miroslav Klose, who tested Vigo keeper Esteban with his effort. The keeper was stretched yet further minutes later by Aaron Hunt, who took on a headed clearance by Pierre Womé and headed alone towards goal. The keeper was able to get a leg out in time to deflect the ball away from the target.

 

Werder remained in control but failed to produce a further real chance on goal until the 19th minute – and what a chance! Daniel Jensen put Hunt through at the edge of the box and the young striker slipped the ball past the advancing keeper but infuriatingly saw his well placed effort strike the foot of the post and roll back across the goal line and away from the danger zone.

 

Celta Vigo, the Spaniards with the impressive home record, appeared to have set their stall out defensively and failed to produce much moving forward. Tame efforts were not enough to test Tim Wiese in the Werder goal. The first test for the Werder defence came in the 28th minute as Núnez pounced on a mistake by Jensen in the penalty area but the Vigo man rushed his chance and played the ball into no-mans-land.

 

Action before the break

 

The Green-Whites appeared to have somewhat lost their direction and, in their black away strip, couldn’t create any genuinely penetrating openings. Klose popped up again for the first time since the second minute for his best action of the night. The German international found himself unmarked at the edge of the box as he received the ball from the dribbling Diego. Unfortunately the strikers effort zipped way off the mark. Vigo had previously had some chances of their own as a row of set pieces ended in Wiese having to make a fine stop on the goal line.

 

The two sides headed into the break with Werder having more of the play and more of the chances but no capitalising on their superiority. Vigo’s defensive tactic had come off, if with a great deal of luck, but the Spaniards coach Vazquez decided it was time to risk a little more and introduced his top striker Fernando Baiano. The most effective Celta front man had an instant impact and had to be stopped by a strong tackle from Frings in the box (51’). Wiese had prior to that taken the sting out of a Núnez header.

 

Werder proved less forceful moving forward since the break. Playmaker Diego attempted to drive his side forward but without creating too many problems for the Galicians. The game was losing it’s way with the visitors still in control of proceedings but to little avail. Thomas Schaaf decided it was time for a switch and brought Christian Schulz and Hugo Almeida for Diego and Miroslav Klose.

 

Werder on song

 

Vigo had the next opening in the 78th minute as striker Baiano tested the reflexes of im Wiese with a rather weak effort which the keeper had few problems in dealing with. On the counter attack Torsten Frings tried his luck with a hopeful lob which almost caught the Vigo keeper off guard from 25 meters. The game lurched up a gear Celta Vigo attempted to secure a more satisfying home result. The Werder defence was compact and Naldo and Jurica Vranjes combined to frustrate Celta (82’).

 

He games only real chance on goal fell at the other end of the pitch with just four minutes to go. Mertesacker and Schulz surged forward before playing the ball wide to Pierre Womé. The Cameroon full-back was able to cross unchallenged and found the head of Hugo Almeida who had broker free in the five meter area. The Portuguese international rose above Placente and Esteban to head Werder into the lead.

 

It was a strike to take any leftover wind out of Vigo’s sails. Almeida had two further effrts before the end with a header and a shot from distance but couldn’t increase Werder’s lead. Still, with only one goal, a win against the Galician’s with the impressive home record puts Werder in the driving seat for the second leg.

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