Werder Blow Lead In Second Champions League Tie

First Team
Thursday, 04.10.2007 / 09:35

Werder Bremen have had to endure a 1:3 defeat by Olympiakos Piräus in their first home game of the current Champions League campaign. The hosts were the better side in the first half and deservedly took the lead through Hugo Almeida

Werder Bremen have had to endure a 1:3 defeat by Olympiakos Piräus in their first home game of the current Champions League campaign. The hosts were the better side in the first half and deservedly took the lead through Hugo Almeida (32’). After the break though the Green-Whites allowed the game to slip from their grasp and the Greek guests deserved to equalise when Ieroklis Stoltidis struck (72’). A srunning shot from distance by Christos Patsatzoglu put the visitors in front (82’) and in the closing minutes, with Werder pushing forward, Olympiakos hit on the break and Darko Kovacevic completed the home sides misery to make the final score 1:3 (87’).

 

Changes afoot and chances aplenty

 

In Thomas Schaaf’s starting eleven, Torsten Frings made his first competitive start of the season, just three days after having returned to team training which saw Jurica Vranjes return to the bench. With Peter Niemeyer unavailable for the Champions League, Clemens Fritz filled the free spot on the right side of the midfield. In comparison to the side which beat Bielefeld 8:1 last weekend, there were two changes forced through injury with Christian Vander standing in for Tim Wiese (thigh injury) between the posts and Markus Rosenberg starting in place of Boubacar Sanogo (adductor muscle injury).

 

The opening quarter hour was certainly an interesting one, and even without being a top quality game of football, it was still one with plenty of incident. Lua Lua got the ball rolling with a strike on Vander’s goal that never really troubled the keeper (5’). At the other end, just a minute later, Hugo Almeida had the chance to put the Green-Whites in front as he shook off his maker to go clear on goal but the Portuguese international rushed his shot and was denied by the flailing leg of Piräus keeper Antonis Nikopolidis. Both Lua Lua and Almeida had further chances but the real danger would have to wait. The home side were in charge of proceedings, when failing to turn their possession into chances against a deeply defensive Greek side.

 

Werder take the first half, Piräus take the second

 

The game came to something of a standstill midway through the first period with openings becoming a rarity. Olympiakos’ Galletti tested Vander with a shot from a tight angle (24’) whilst Almeida headed just wide of the post (29’). The Werder were to be rewarded for their efforts as Dusko Tosic put a pass in from the left and Daniel Jensen flicked the ball into the centre where a half clearance only went as far as Almeida who slammed the ball inside the near post to mark up his first Champions League goal in the Champions League (32’). The home side had further chances before the break as Markus Rosenberg headed a Diego free-kick directly at Nikopolidis (42’) and a Jensen effort which led to a penalty area scramble was eventually turned wide by Petri Pasanen (43’).

 

After the break there was to be total turn about. Werder allowed their guests into the game as they lost their grip on proceedings. Piräus turned up the heat and created chances. Vander had to be alert again to deny an attempted chip by Djordjevic (55’) and the Werder keeper soon after made an excellent save at full stretch from a 25 meter drive by Galletti (60’) after Almeida had wasted a further opportunity at the far end (53’). In the 66th minute the Greeks thought they had equalised but Lua Lua’s goal was correctly waved off-side. The Greek coach Takis Lemonis saw the need to take a risk and brought a further striker in the form of Darko Kovacevic. The new man had an immediate impact as he hit a shot in falling which Vander couldn’t gather and Ieroklis Stoltidis reacted quickest to slot the ball home and put his side back on level terms (72’).

 

Mertesacker’s bad luck starts the Werder slip

 

The Bundesliga club reacted aggressively and threw everything into attack. Per Mertesacker rose to head a Pasanen delivery on goal but the effort was headed right at the keeper and a fantastic chance to retake the lead was blown. After Pasanen blocked a header from Lua Lua, Werder found themselves pinned back in their own box and when a half clearance fell to Christos Patsatzoglu who hammered, with the aid of a slight deflection by Per Mertesacker, into the top right corner of the net (82’). The home side attempted another onslaught on the Greek goal but failed to create anything countable. Olympiakos were patient and waited for the chance to break, which worked effectively as Raul Bravo hammered a shot goal wards on the volley which proved too hot for Vander to handle and Kovacevic pounced to convert the loose ball off the inside of the post to make the final score 1:3 (87’).

 

With two games played the Green-Whites are bottom of Group C with no points but that was also the case two seasons ago when Werder Bremen subsequently qualified for the second round.

 

Johnnie Muldoon

 

Werder Bremen- Olympiakos Piräus

 

Werder Bremen: Vander – Pasanen, Mertesacker, Naldo, Tošiæ – Frings, Fritz (63. Borowski), Jensen, Diego – Rosenberg (77. Sanogo), Hugo Almeida; auf der Bank: Pellatz, Andreasen, Harnik, Vranjes, Schindler

 

Olympiakos Piräus: Nikopolidis – Torosidis (86. Pantos), Antzas, Raul Bravo, Domi (19. Julio Cesar) – Ledesma, Galletti (72. Kovacevic), Patsatzoglu, Stoltidis, Djordjevic – Lualua

 

Goals: 1:0 Hugo Almeida (32.), 1:1 Stoltidis (72.), 1:2 Patsatzoglu (82.), 1:3 Kovacevic (87.)

 

Yellow cards: Ledesma

 

Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Dänemark)

 

Attendance: Weser-Stadion: 37.500

 

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