On the 27th match day of the season, Werder Bremen could manage no more than a meagre 0:0 draw with FC Energie Cottbus. Despite 90 minutes of dominance, the Green-Whites were unable to put the ball in the net.
On the 27th match day of the season, Werder Bremen could manage no more than a meagre 0:0 draw with FC Energie Cottbus. Despite 90 minutes of dominance, the Green-Whites were unable to put the ball in the net.
On the 27th match day of the season, Werder Bremen could manage no more than a meagre 0:0 draw with FC Energie Cottbus. Despite 90 minutes of dominance, the Green-Whites were unable to put the ball in the net. The statistics show Werder as having had 73,2% of possession, 22:8 shots on goal and 4:0 corners – a totally one sided game of football which saw the points shared, flatteringly for the home side.
Hunt goal disallowed
The first moment for discussion in the game took place in the sixth minute as Diego passed perfectly to Miroslav Klose. The German international went down under the challenge of Energie keeper Tomislav Piplica but referee Knut Kircher was unimpressed and waved play on. Thomas Schaaf, who made only one change to his starting eleven with Aaron Hunt replacing Hugo Almeida, saw his side take control but fail to produce anything dangerous in front of goal. Cottbus had set out their stall extremely defensively, with ten men behind the ball, protecting their own penalty area – and they played their roll effectively.
The clearest chance of the first half was in the 17th minute. Piplica was unable to hold onto a well taken Diego free kick and Klose reacted quickest, laying the ball back across the box to Hunt who touched the ball into an empty net – 1:0 for Werder?, not quite!! Hunt was standing in an offside position as the ball was played to him and the referee and his assistant spotted the infringement and awarded a free-kick to Cottbus. Werder general manager Klaus Allofs summed up the proceedings of the first half: “Cottbus are making the task here for us very difficult. If there is any justice in football, then we will see a goal for the right team in the second half.”
’Merte’ hits the crossbar
Justice would prove to be rough for Werder on this particular Saturday at the ‘Stadion der Freundschaft’. For the 20,344 spectators in the stadium, it was much of the same for the next 45 minutes too. Cottbus standing very deep, Werder pushing and pushing but the final ball again and again missing it’s target.
Chances on goal proved no more than sporadic against a tightly packed Energie defence. In the 55th minute Diego put Hunt on his way but between an uneven pitch and a lack of concentration, the ball got away from the young striker and da Silva could clear. Klose was again out of luck as a well met header from a Frings corner was blocked luckily by a Cottbus defender (62’). The best chance of the second period fell to Per Mertesacker. Frings delivered another corner from the right and the lofty centre half met the delivery with a header but frustratingly saw his effort bounce away off the crossbar.
Subs can’t ring the changes
Werder refused to throw in the towel but with the clock ticking loudly, an amount of disbelief began to creep into their game. Not even the introduction of fresh strikers in Hugo Almeida (73’ for Vranjes) and Markus Rosenberg (81’ for Klose) could change the fortunes of Thomas Schaaf’s men. In the final minute of the game, Tim Wiese was called into action for the first time, saving from Cotbus substitute Jiayi Shao to rescue at least a point for the visitors. After three minutes of added time the referee had had enough and put an end to Werders misery. The visitors missed the chance to take the top spot against a Cottbus side who could be very happy with a hard earned point.
Johnnie Muldoon
