Werder Bremen hop aboard victory train with win over Schalke
Three huge points keep season alive for Werder Bremen.
Werder Bremen have returned to league play with a fiery passion. Despite everything pointing to this being the year they would drop from the top league, they managed to fight their way to two victories, one tie, and three clean sheets in a row.
Faith has been restored in coach Florian Kohfeldt, and once again eyes were on Leonardo Bittencourt, the hero of the day. Bittencourt scored an impressive goal with a rocket of a bending shot after some fantastic 3-man high pressure led to Werder Bremen dispossessing Schalke in an advantageous position.
Werder Bremen certainly looked the better of the two teams in the first half as Schalke racked up the yellow cards and failed to be particularly threatening in the final third. Unfortunately Bittencourt, whose confidence going to goal was evident, took a knock at the end of the half and was subbed out.
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Schalke increased the pressure in the second half keeping Bremen on their toes, but a surprisingly composed and tenacious Bremen defence combined with quick reactions and smart thinking from goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka, kept the ball out of the back of Bremen’s net.
As the game came to a close, Bremen had a clear chance to put it away, but a poor move on the part of Yuya Osako to pass the ball across the box instead of finishing the opportunity himself cost them a second goal. Despite this frustrating lapse in judgment, Bremen held on for an agonizing 5 minutes of added time to come away with a much-needed victory.
The fist pumps and grin from Florain Kohfeldt at the final whistle was evidence of how important the victory was to a Bremen side lacking in points prior to the last couple of weeks. Their play may not always be pretty as they scrap and fight their way to results against teams higher up in the league table, but whatever it takes it looks like they’re willing to do.
Next. Bremen tantalizingly close to striking gold. dark
It would appear that Bremen’s recent success is more than a fluke and might just be here to stay. Never count Bremen out. Auf Geht’s Bremen!