SV Werder once again failed to achieve a victory on the opening day of the Bundesliga season. The Green-Whites haven’t picked up three points in a season opener since the 2013/14 season. And this was once again the case for Werder as they came away with no points after their game with Fortuna Düsseldorf, falling to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the visitors. However, the game didn’t initially seem as if it would end this way. In the early minutes, SV Werder seemed to be really up for the game, in front of 42,100 visitors in the wohninvest WESERSTADION. The Green-Whites were very strong in the opening stages. SVW were performing confidently, energetically and immediately put Fortuna’s defence under increasing pressure. The only thing missing was the opening goal. Düsseldorf defended well and managed to survive the first phase of pressure from Werder unscathed. Werder lacked any sort of luck in the final third but seemed to have the game under control; up until the 36th minute. Out of absolutely nothing, Rouwen Hennings shocked the Werder crowd and gave Düsseldorf the lead with their first shot of the game. Subsequently, the shock had a visible effect on Werder up until the half-time interval. After the break, the hosts came flying out of the blocks, with Johannes Eggestein grabbing a deserved equalizer in the 47th minute, and continued to apply the pressure. After Kenan Karaman put away Düsseldorf’s second (52’), Kaan Ayhan added a third in the 64th minute. Werder’s defence lacked both organisation and concentration, which was capitalised on by the ice-cold Düsseldorf players. Giving up wasn’t an option though. Werder continued to press and create chances, giving Fortuna no time to relax. The Green-Whites had plenty of chances, with Niclas Füllkrug even hitting the underside of the crossbar (88’). However, luck was clearly on Düsseldorf’s side on Saturday afternoon.







