Despite clearly controlling their return leg tie for the full duration, Werder Bremen narrowly missed out on reaching the quarter final stage of the UEFA Cup. In the end, the Green-Whites could only manage a 1:0 win, thanks to a goal just shy of the hour mark by Diego.
Despite clearly controlling their return leg tie for the full duration, Werder Bremen narrowly missed out on reaching the quarter final stage of the UEFA Cup. In the end, the Green-Whites could only manage a 1:0 win, thanks to a goal just shy of the hour mark by Diego. The 0:2 defeat in the first leg meant that Werder fell just a goal short of forcing the tie into extra time.
The Green-Whites certainly had the chances to force the game into an extra 30 minutes on the night. Right from the outset, trainer Thomas Schaaf’s men launched an offensive onslaught on the Rangers goal with Daniel Jensen, Marhus Rosenberg, Tim Borowski and Hugo Almeida all either missing the target, or finding their master in keeper Allan McGregor. The Scottish league leaders only managed to create a single opening throughout the first period with a shot from Nacho Novo which Tim Wiese was able to bat away.
There was no change after the break with Rangers throwing up a defensive wall to block attack after attack from Thomas Schaaf’s men. In the 58th minute, the home side finally made the breakthrough as Diego trapped the ball with his chest on the edge of the box, flicked it over his marker with his right and then slammed into the far right corner with his left boot. The goal inspired Werder to push even further forward, on a wave of enthusiasm which rang through the stadium, and with just five minutes to go, Schaaf’s men came agonisingly close to levelling the tie. Boubacar Sanogo slid in to turn a header from Markus Rosenberg on goal, but from just three meters out, McGregor somehow got a hand up to turn the effort against the crossbar. In the end, Thomas Schaaf’s men couldn’t turn their 18:2 corner count, nor their 35:4 total of shots on goal into the telling result they needed to progress into the next round of the competition.
Werder Bremen: Wiese – Owomoyela (78‘ Harnik), Naldo, Mertesacker, Boenisch – Jensen, Borowski, Hunt, Diego – Rosenberg, Hugo Almeida (66‘ Sanogo); on the bench: Vander, Vranjes, Özil, Tošiæ
Glasgow Rangers: McGregor – Broadfoot, Weir, Carlos Cuéllar, Papac – Hemdani, Dailly, Ferguson, Davis, Adam (57’ Whittaker) – Novo (78’ McCulloch); on the bench: Alexander, Buffel, Thomson, Boyd, Naismith
Goal(s): 1:0 Diego (58’)
Yellow card(s): Adam
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)
Attendance: Weser-Stadion: 36,000
