Bringing a hard-fought point back to Bremen

Match report from the 1-1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt

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SVW battled hard to come away with a point from the clash against Frankfurt (Photo: Nordphoto).

Match Report

Friday, 05.04.2024 / 22:54

SV Werder Bremen’s clash against Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday 28 ended level in every respect, with both sides finding the net once and finishing the game with ten men after two red card offences. Although the hosts had more of the ball in the first half, the Green-Whites continued to apply pressure and create chances. Milos Veljkovic opened the scoring after the break (62’), yet Werder suffered a blow shortly after as Jens Stage was sent off following a foul on Bahoya (73’). However, Frankfurt’s numerical advantage did not last for long, as Tuta was handed a straight red shortly after for a poorly-timed tackle on Felix Agu (89’).

Line-up and formation: Ole Werner made four changes to his line-up for the clash against Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday 28. As a result of Anthony Jung’s red card suspension, Amos Pieper made his return to the starting XI in centre back following a spell on the sidelines, with Senne Lynen taking Skelly Alvero’s position in the centre midfield. After completing his suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards, Jens Stage took over Nick Woltemade's place in the middle, while Mitchell Weiser reclaimed his usual spot on the right wing.Ole Werner also opted for a change in formation, which saw Romano Schmid start behind lone striker Marvin Ducksch.

Werder’s starting XI: Zetterer – Pieper, Stage, Ducksch, Weiser, Bittencourt, Veljkovic, Lynen, Schmid, Agu, Friedl.

Bench: Pavlenka – Deman, Kownacki, Keïta, Hansen-Aarøen, Malatini, Woltemade, Groß, Opitz.

Zetterer to the rescue for Werder

Michael Zetterer punching the ball away.

Michael Zetterer kept a clean sheet in the first half (Photo: Nordphoto).

First-half highlights:

12th minute: Werder make their mark early on with a chance through Romano Schmid. Amos Pieper plays a picture-perfect long pass into the Austrian, who takes the ball in his stride on his first touch and is one-on-one with Trapp. However, the Frankfurt keeper reacts well and gets low to stop Werder in their tracks, and the flag goes up for offside regardless.

17th minute: Zetterer puts in a critical stop against a Marmoush volley, but the ball doesn’t go far from the Werder net. Luckily, the Green-White keeper spots an oncoming Knauff and rushes out bravely to clear the danger.

26th minute: Werder combine neatly down the right and Bittencourt squares it to Stage in the middle, but the Dane fires it straight at the Eintracht keeper.

42nd minute: Knauff puts it on a plate for Marmoush in the middle, who pulls the trigger first-time, but Zetterer’s quick reflexes come in clutch for the Green-Whites once again.

45th minute: Werder are awarded a free kick after Ebimbe brings down Ducksch. The forward launches the ball into the Frankfurt penalty area where Stage is waiting to nod it towards the Frankfurt net, but Trapp is on hand to punch away the danger.

Two goals and two red cards

Milos Veljkovic put Werder in the lead with his goal in the second half (Photo: W.DE).

Second-half highlights:

62nd minute: GOAL FOR THE GREEN-WHITES! Ducksch curls his third free kick of the game into the Frankfurt box, which Stage is able to get on the end of. His effort is denied by Trapp, but Veljkovic is waiting to pounce on the rebound and slots the ball into the bottom corner to open the scoring for Werder!

73rd minute: Jens Stage is sent off for committing a foul on Bahoya and Werder go down to ten men.

77th minute: Defender Lucas Silva Melo, also known as "Tuta", gets a stronger header on a cross and finds the back of the net for Eintracht to level the scoring.

89th minute: Another red card! After referee Robert Hartmann checks with VAR, goalscorer Lucas Silva Melo is sent off for a poorly-timed tackle on Felix Agu, and both sides are now down to ten men.

90th minute +10: Full time! SV Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt share the points in a 1-1 draw on matchday 28.

Summary: Although a draw in the clash between SVW and Eintracht could be considered a fair outcome, another goal may have been on the cards for the visitors when you consider their determination on the counter and the threats they posed to the opposition net. Ultimately, Michael Zetterer stepped up and put his body on the line towards the end to ensure that the Green-Whites did not come away from the Deutsche Bank Park empty-handed.