SVW won under the floodlights on Friday evening against Hertha BSC at the wohninvest WESERSTADION. Thanks to Niclas Füllkrug’s late goal (85’), Werder won a disjointed game full of interruptions. Overall, SVW had the better chances, but could find the net in the first half. The second half was just as disjointed as the first with plenty of players ending up on the floor for most of the time. In the end, Werder were able to secure the win and climb back up the table.
Squad: Jens Stage and Lee Buchanan, who both started against SC Freiburg last time out, had to settle for a place on the bench this evening. That was also the case for Niklas Schmidt who had recently overcome an illness to make the matchday squad.
Line-up: Pavlenka – Jung, Stark, Pieper, Ducksch, Weiser, Bittencourt, Füllkrug, Veljkovic, Schmid and Gruev
Bench: Zetterer – Stage, Burke, Dinkci, Schmidt, Buchanan, Agu, Groß and Chiarodia
Highlights from the first half:
2nd minute: Jovetic is played through and takes it to the baseline before whipping in a sharp ball across the face of the goal. The ball finds Richter at the back post but he can only find the side netting.
5th minute: Werder wake up! A long ball is played into Marvin Ducksch who can’t quite get it under control, but that doesn’t mean the chance has gone! Romano Schmid picks up the loose ball and puts a perfect low cross into the box – Niclas Füllkrug is ready to tap it in, but Hertha’s Rogel manages to get a toe to the ball to send it out for a corner. The resulting corner comes to nothing as Amos Pieper can’t quite get his head on the ball.
11th minute: Romano Schmidt is brought down in the opposition’s penalty area, after Ilia Gruev made a great tackle to win the ball back on the edge of the box. The referee waves away Werder’s appeals for a penalty.
19th minute: Lukebakio dances through the Werder backline and tries to curl his shot into the net. His attempt has too much on it and flies over.
20th minute: Now a chance down the other end of the pitch! Leo Bittencourt wants to play in Marvin Ducksch, but the final Hertha defender just about manages to get his foot to the ball. Christensen collects the ball safely.
31st minute: Real chance for Werder to take the lead! After another strong challenge from Gruev to win the ball back, he plays Ducksch through on the right flank of the penalty area. Ducksch then finds Füllkrug who has space and time to take a shot for himself. Christensen can only get a hand to the dipping shot. The save looks like it is falling into the path of the oncoming Bittencourt, but it is just too high for him. Pieper heads the resulting corner over the bar.
39th minute: Werder come forward again! Plattenhardt involuntarily blocks a free-kick from Ducksch into the path of Schmid, who is able to cross back into the box. But Christensen is able to pluck the ball out safely.
41st minute: Ducksch tries his luck twice following a Werder corner. Mitchell Weiser tries to stab his second attempt home from a tight angle, but again this shot is off target. Man!
Highlights from the second half:
53rd minute: Niclas Füllkrug is shoved in the Berlin penalty area and makes his pleas to the referee but is waved away by Reichel.
56th minute: Lukebakio and Kenny combine in Werder’s half. Lukebakio gets a shot away but it goes narrowly wide.
72nd minute: Ducksch floats a free-kick into the box. Pieper fires it into Füllkrug’s back and Fülle then tries to poke it home, but the referee had already stopped play for an offside.
79th minute: Ejuke gets free and shoots directly at Pavlenka who makes a comfortable save.
82nd minute: Best chance of the game so far! Schmid passes into the penalty area where Weiser has made a run. He is completely unmarked in front of Christensen but he is unable to connect properly with the ball and that allows Christensen to make the save.
85th minute: GOOOOAL! It’s none other than Niclas Füllkrug that scores for Werder to put them 1-0 up!
90+2 minutes: Burke tries his luck from the baseline and fires the ball between Christensen’s legs but the ball runs across the face of goal.
90+4 minutes: Full time! SV Werder Bremen beat Hertha BSC 1-0!
Summary: It was an extremely disconnected and even game that ultimately ended in Werder’s favour. Werder had the better chances throughout the game and were able to rewarded themselves for their work with all three points by scoring shortly before the final whistle. Hertha tried again and again through Lukebakio and Ejuke but Werder were on full alert and were able to win the majority of challenges in their own half to stamp out any attacks.
