Wagner outwits Werder as Darmstadt win
Darmstadt – Sandro Wagner struck twice against his former club to earn SV Darmstadt 98 a 2-1 win over SV Werder Bremen.
Man of the match
Goals: 0-1 Johannsson (20'), 1-1 Wagner (31', pen.), 2-1 Wagner (85')
Jan Rosenthal, facing the side he made his debut against nine years ago, flashed a header wide of the far post with the first chance of the game. A header from Sandro Wagner had Felix Wiedwald beaten as the hosts applied some good early pressure before Aron Johannsson put an end to their promising start by putting Bremen in front with a diving header, before György Garics made a goal-line clearance to deny the US forward a second in as many minutes.
Wagner levelled after half an hour with his first goal of the season, coming from the penalty spot, and it gave the hosts confidence going into the second half. Marcel Heller had the chance to put them in front, but he scuppered Wagner's cross. It was a different story when the roles were reversed, however, with Wagner heading Heller's cross in to clinch all three points for Darmstadt, with Bremen's evening made even worse by a red card to Fin Bartels.
Sandro Wagner had not scored since April 2014, while his last penalty came in 2011 when he was wearing a Bremen shirt. He had clearly been saving his best for his former club, for whom he bagged his one and only other brace in the Bundesliga in March 2011 against 1. FC Nürnberg.
Talking point
Darmstadt fans had been waiting a long time for this home win – since 1982 in fact. 33 years in the making, Wagner was not even born the last time Darmstadt won a home game in the top flight and this win gives them hope they will be able to celebrate more home wins in the top-flight, even next season.
Stats of the match
- Darmstadt's Jan Rosenthal made his Bundesliga debut against Bremen nine years ago.Aron Johannsson scored with Bremen's first shot of the game.Wagner scored his first goal since April 2014 – after 24 games without scoring.Darmstadt won their first home game in the Bundesliga since 1982.Claudio Pizarro made his 100th career substitute appearance.Wagner's second was the 2,500th goal Bremen have conceded in the Bundesliga.
Line-ups
Darmstadt: Mathenia - Garics, Sulu, Caldirola, Holland (36' Junior Diaz) - Niemeyer, Gondorf - Heller, Rausch (63' Kempe) – Rosenthal (92' Stroh-Engel) - Wagner
Bremen: Wiedwald - Gebre Selassie, Lukimya, Vestergaard, S. Garcia - Galvez - Fritz, Sternberg (89' Fröde) - Bartels - Ujah, Johannsson (82' Pizarro)
