A narrow win leads to a dash of hope for Werder Bremen

Werder Bremen fans can start to get excited…

With a 1-0 win over Freiburg on Saturday, Werder Bremen broke their 8 game losing streak to keep the hope alive that they may have a shot at escaping relegation.

It’s hardly time to breathe easy yet as Werder Bremen remains in 17th place in the Bundesliga, but Bremen fans can at least take a quick breath and enjoy their next week after a narrow victory on Saturday.

Being a Bremen fan these days is certainly a tough task. They bored me to sleep on Monday before sending me into heart attack mode on Saturday. It’s a roller coaster of a ride, but one I nonetheless decided I’m willing to get on.

Surprisingly Bremen started Saturday’s game with more pep in their step and cohesion among the team than usual. It was a good sign, but that didn’t mean it was going to stick.

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Then in the 19th minute Leonardo Bittencourt came through for Bremen with a fantastic finish from just outside the 18-yard box after a particularly impressive cross-field, leading pass from Davy Klaassen. Certainly cause for celebration, but with so much time left in the game, it was sure to lead to a nail-biting finale.

The commentators reminded those watching time and time again that Bremen has the poorest defensive record in the Bundesliga, a painful reminder that Freiburg likely still had a shot at coming away with points. Freiburg picked up momentum as the game pushed on leading Bremen’s goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka to make some quick reaction saves.

But by far the most heart-attack inducing moment of the game came in the 89th minute when a second yellow card sent Philipp Bargfrede off the field with a red and the resulting free-kick eventually resulted in a goal from Manuel Gulde. As Werder Bremen fans stormed around their living rooms, pacing anxiously, the referee checked VAR and the goal was rightfully disallowed due to an offside position in the buildup to the goal.

Seven harrowing minutes of added time followed before the merciful final whistle blew and Bremen somehow found themselves walking away from 7th place Freiburg with a much needed victory.

Though this single victory hasn’t catapulted them out of relegation spots quite yet, it gives the team hope, boosts team morale and keeps them out of last place in the league. All cause for a moment of celebration, at least until next week.