Merciless Serge Gnabry guides Bayern Munich to much-needed win at Werder Bremen
Bayern Munich picked up their 16th straight win against Werder Bremen with Serge Gnabry showing no mercy against his former club with both goals in a 2-1 victory at the Weser Stadium.
Bremen 1-2 Bayern
Goals: 0-1 Gnabry (20'), 1-1 Osako (33'), 1-2 Gnabry (50')
Red card: Moisander (90+2')
With Bayern controlling the early proceedings, a neat exchange between Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller created an opening for the Pole, but Jiri Pavlenka just got enough on the ball with his left arm to turn it behind for a corner. The vociferous home fans tried their best to urge their team forward, but Bayern's organised ranks rarely looked at risk and, in fact, seemed set to strike on the break. That is precisely what they did after 20 minutes when Gnabry scored at the second time of asking after his initial volley was saved by Pavlenka. Theodor Gebre Selassie responded with Bremen's first shot of the game, but despite a deflection off Jerome Boateng, Manuel Neuer prevented it from becoming goal number 16 conceded from the last 18 shots on his goal, improving that ratio by denying Nuri Sahin soon after. He could not make it three saves in a row, though, as Osako met Max Kruse's cross to head Bremen level from close range.
Bayern started the second half as brightly as they had the first, and their reward was an early goal from Gnabry. He did not know much about his second of the afternoon, but had no complaints as Niklas Moisander's attempted clearance from Müller's cut-back struck his shin and went in. Bremen responded as they had done in the first half and, with Claudio Pizarro on for his 15th appearance against Bayern and 30th in total in this fixture, they almost levelled when the Peruvian's first touch teed up Kruse, who screwed his shot just wide of the far post. Bayern had conceded five goals inside the final five minutes of games this season, but Bremen were unable to force a sixth and their misery was compounded when Moisander was sent off in stoppage time of a defeat which stretches their run without a win over Bayern to over a decade.
Match stats
- Rafinha reached a milestone with his 322nd Bundesliga appearance, drawing level with former Borussia Dortmund full-back Dede as the Brazilian with the third-most appearances in the Bundesliga. Only former Bayern winger Ze Roberto (336) and Schalke's Naldo (357) have more.Gnabry has had a hand in a goal in each of his last three Bayern games: goal against Freiburg, assist against Dortmund and today's goals against his ex-club.Despite playing a year for Bremen – and scoring 11 goals – this was only Gnabry's second and third goals at the Weser Stadium.Osako scored against Bayern for the first time in his sixth meeting with the record champions.Bremen frontman Pizarro spent nine years with Bayern, scoring 87 goals in 224 Bundesliga appearances. The Peruvian is the only player in Bundesliga history to have scored more than 80 goals for two clubs (106 for Bremen, 87 for Bayern).
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Line-ups
Bremen: Pavlenka - Gebre Selassie, Veljkovic (Langkamp 63'), Moisander, Augustinsson - Sahin (Pizarro 76'), M. Eggestein, Klaassen – Osako, Kruse (c), J. Eggestein (Möhwald 66')
Unused substitutes: Plogmann, Harnik, Rashica, Friedl
Absentees: Bargfrede (Achilles), Bartels (ankle), Johannsson (ankle)
Coach: Florian Kohfeldt
Bayern: Neuer (c) - Rafinha, Süle, Boateng, Alaba - Kimmich – Gnabry (Thiago 80'), Müller (Martinez 90+1'), Goretzka, Ribery (Coman 38') - Lewandowski
Unused substitutes: Ulreich, Wagner, Mai, Renato Sanches
Absentees: James (knee), Tolisso (knee), Hummels (illness), Robben (muscular)
Coach: Niko Kovac
Watch: Gnabry: "Bremen never easy!"
As it happened