Strong showing! Werder get 1-1 draw v Schalke 04

The scene of the match: Eljero Elia gets past a series of Schalke players and finds Franco Di Santo, who scored to make it 1-0.
First Team
Saturday, 05.04.2014 / 17:48

In front of a sold-out Weser Stadium, Werder Bremen earned a 1-1 draw against Schalke 04 and picked up an important and more-than-deserved point. Franco Di Santo gave...



In front of a sold-out Weser Stadium, Werder Bremen earned a 1-1 draw against Schalke 04 and picked up an important and more-than-deserved point. Franco Di Santo gave Bremen the lead and nearly scored a second goal but was stopped by the post. Just before the break, Leon Goretzka equalised for Schalke in what turned out to be the final goal of the match.

Line-up and formation:
After the 2-1 victory from last week, Werder coach Robin Dutt kept the same line-up for just the third time this season, sending out the same team that got the job done in Hannover.

Highlights of the match

10th Minute: Werder had the better start in an intensive early going. Di Santo, Eljero Elia, Aaron Hunt and Co. gave the Schalke defensive problems and had the first good chance of the match. Hunt had an opportunity from the left side but his shot from a tight angle went just wide.

15th Minute: Goal! 1-0! Werder rewarded themselves for a strong performance until them. Zlatko Junuzovic passed to Elia, who got past Ayhan and Hoogland and found the passing lane to Di Santo as the Argentinean accepted the classy pass and converted past Schalke keeper Ralf Fährmann.

17th Minute: Di Santo hits the right post! Werder just missed a double strike which would have made it 2-0. It remained 1-0 but Weser Stadium is rocking.

32nd Minute: Equaliser for Schalke 04. Schalke equalised with their first good chance as Goretzka hit home after Sebastian Prödl blocked a ball with his foot. Obasi had crossed from the right side into the middle.

Philipp Bargfrede had a strong match defensively.

The analysis

Noteworthy:
Werder didn't allow Schalke much run of play thanks to many won challenges and passionate motivation in the first half. Elia was an ever-present worry for Schalke, moving from one spot to the next on the pitch. It was a more than acceptable performance by Bremen.

Werder Player of the Match: Di Santo had a really good day and maybe played his best match in Bremen gear. But the Player of the Match for us was Eljero Elia, who was more than present over 80 minutes. He was a whirlwind both from the left and right side. He connected on 94 percent (!!!) of his passes - a super rate. He continually created issues with his dribbling, sprints and passing. He set up the 1-0 goal and created a number of chances for his teammates. And he got a standing ovation when he was subbed out.

Conclusion: It was a very strong performance against an absolutely top team in the Bundesliga as Werder Bremen collected an important point in the fight against relegation. Even though Bremen were able to create a bit more space from the relegation zone with the point, the Green-Whites are not yet out of trouble. It was all the more important to get a point against Schalke and continue the positive trend. That was successful even though the one point in the end was almost not enough when you compare the performance of both teams in the afternoon.

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