Niclas Füllkrug smiled contentedly after the final whistle and high-fived his congenial strike partner Marvin Ducksch: Thanks to his top scorer, promoted Werder Bremen remains on the road to success and temporarily advanced to a place in the Champions League.
The Hanseatic League won at the start of the 9th matchday of the Bundesliga with a 2-1 (1-1) win at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Füllkrug scored the winning goal shortly before the end with his eighth goal of the season by converting a penalty kick (87th minute) – and in front of the eyes of national coach Hansi Flick he did a lot of self-promotion for a World Cup ticket.
Teammate Mitchell Weiser got the penalty after a foul by Stanley Nsoki. Referee Benjamin Cortus only pointed to the point after video evidence. “He pulls my leg away,” said Weiser at DAZN, “for me it’s a clear penalty”. The game was “not our best,” the full-back admitted: “But as a promoted team, we’re happy to take three points away.”
TSG goalkeeper Oliver Baumann struggled with the way the game went: “Our game was so good that you should never lose this game in your life. Our first half was brutally good. That’s why it’s extremely bitter.”
Werder duo impressed
In front of 25,410 spectators, Füllkrug and Marvin Ducksch showed their top form for Werder’s first goal. After a fine one-two from the two German strikers, Ducksch scored his second goal of the season (18th minute). But Munas Dabbur (32nd) managed to equalize for TSG in the meantime.
The Bremen team started with the same eleven that had set off a spectacular offensive firework display in the 5-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend. Hoffenheim’s coach André Breitenreiter had also warned about the filling krug and Ducksch before the kick-off at DAZN: “We have to keep them busy and can’t give them any space. We’ve come up with a good plan.”
Hardness was apparently also part of this plan. Less than a minute had been played when Stanley Nsoki tackled Füllkrug. The most conspicuous player in the early stages was the advanced full-back Robert Skov, who missed two big chances for Hoffenheim early on (2nd and 3rd). The addition of Skov for Pavel Kaderabek paid off as the Dane was a constant source of trouble.
TSG hits the post
But then the hosts were caught off guard: During a counterattack, assist provider Füllkrug and goal scorer Ducksch showed how clever they move and that they have a keen sense of each other’s movements. However, TSG was not shocked by the deficit – on the contrary. She continued to push forward bravely and was rewarded by Dabbur’s equaliser. Just two minutes later, the post prevented Hoffenheim from taking the lead when Baumgartner shot.
After the change of sides, the momentum was lost a bit, and Hoffenheim were the most likely to prevail. But Baumgartner (55′), Dabbur (62′) and Skov (65′) couldn’t put the ball in the goal. Later, Füllkrug did better from the point. The penalty was given by referee Benjamin Cortus only after video evidence. Nsoki fouled Mitchell Weiser in the penalty area.
