Heidenheim come from behind twice to earn hard-fought draw against Werder Bremen
Heidenheim twice fought back against Werder Bremen to earn a 2-2 draw at home, thanks to maiden Bundesliga goals from Stefan Schimmer and Jonas Föhrenbach.
Heidenheim 2-2 Werder Bremen
Goals: 0-1 Grüll 50‘ (assist: Schmid), 1-1 Schimmer 67‘ (assist: Busch), 1-2 Stage 69‘ (assist: Schmid), 2-2 Föhrenbach 83‘ (assist: Mainka)
Bottom-placed Heidenheim came into this contest desperate for points after a slow start to the season, with Frank Schmidt's side having claimed just one win from their opening six matches.
Visitors Werder Bremen, by contrast, arrived at the Voith Arena with renewed confidence following their Matchday 6 victory against St. Pauli. However, Horst Steffen's men had been notably inconsistent, failing to win consecutive matches under their new coach.
Dominant start from the hosts
The hosts flew out of the traps and dominated the opening half-hour, with Budu Zivzivadze forcing an early save from Mio Backhaus. Heidenheim continued to press and should have taken the lead in the 21st minute when Zivzivadze rounded Backhaus, only for Marco Friedl to make a remarkable goal-line clearance.
Adrian Beck was then denied by another last-ditch intervention from Bremen's defence, with the visitors struggling to gain a foothold in the match.
The hosts were dealt a blow in the 33rd minute when Mikkel Kaufmann limped off to be replaced by Stefan Schimmer, but they continued to create chances with Arijon Ibrahimović particularly lively.
Bremen gradually grew into the contest before half-time, with Romano Schmid causing problems, though the sides went in level at the break after an entertaining but goalless first period.
Goals flow after half-time
Bremen emerged from the dressing room with renewed energy and took the lead five minutes after the restart. Grüll played a neat one-two with Schmid, taking Mainka out of the game before calmly slotting past Ramaj at his near post.
The visitors looked in control until the 67th minute when Heidenheim hit back. A brilliant run down the right flank by substitute Marnon Busch ended with a perfect cut-back for Schimmer, who guided the ball home with his first touch to register his maiden Bundesliga goal in his 32nd appearance.
Föhrenbach rescues a point
The hosts' joy was short-lived, however, as Bremen restored their advantage just two minutes later. Schmid provided his second assist of the match, cutting the ball back from the byline for the unmarked Jens Stage, who fired past Ramaj from the penalty spot.
Heidenheim refused to give up and continued to push forward, with Dorsch forcing another fine save from Backhaus. The hosts kept the pressure up and found their reward when Jonas Föhrenbach rose highest to head home from Patrick Mainka's flick-on, securing his first-ever Bundesliga goal on his 70th appearance.
Late drama but no winner
Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages, with Stage heading just over for Bremen and Mathias Honsak forcing yet another save from Backhaus, but a draw was perhaps a fair result despite Heidenheim's statistical dominance.
Player of the match: Mio Backhaus
Backhaus delivered a performance for the ages to ensure Bremen left with a point. The 23-year-old goalkeeper made an incredible 10 saves – a new season high in the Bundesliga – as Heidenheim peppered his goal with 30 shots.
His reflexes were particularly impressive in the first half when he denied Beck's close-range volley and Arijon Ibrahimović's powerful drive. Despite conceding twice, Backhaus's interventions were the difference between defeat and a draw for Bremen, with the visitors' xG conceded of 3.0 going to show just how much pressure they were under throughout the match.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Heidenheim 3.0 - Werder Bremen 1.39
Fastest player: Justin Njinmah (Werder Bremen), 34.11 km/h
Most pressed player: Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), 27 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Stefan Schimmer (Heidenheim), +1.94
Fantasy Heroes: Mio Backhaus (Werder Bremen, 353 Points), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen, 303 Points), Jens Stage (Werder Bremen, 232 Points)
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