Bazoumana Touré keeps Hoffenheim in UEFA Champions League contention with Werder Bremen win
Bazoumana Touré scored the only goal as Hoffenheim edged past 10-man Werder Bremen to keep their top-four hopes alive going into the final day.
TSG Hoffenheim 1-0 Werder BremenGoals: 1-0 Touré 26' (assist: Kramarić)Red card: Sugawara 5'
Hoffenheim came into this Matchday 33 fixture at the PreZero Arena in Sinsheim with Champions League qualification firmly in their sights, sitting level on goal difference with VfB Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen in the race for the top four.
Bremen, meanwhile, arrived still needing a point to mathematically secure their Bundesliga status, having won just one of their previous five matches. Hoffenheim were unchanged from the side that drew with Stuttgart the previous week, whilst Bremen made two changes, with Salim Musah making his first Bundesliga start and Justin Njinmah also coming into the XI.
Sugawara's red card changes the game
Already the underdogs, Bremen gave themselves a mountain to climb inside just five minutes when Yukinari Sugawara caught Touré with a reckless challenge on the calf. After a VAR review, referee Sören Storks showed Sugawara a straight red card in the fifth minute — the earliest sending-off in Bremen's Bundesliga history. Musah, making his first Bundesliga start, was withdrawn just seven minutes later as coach Daniel Thioune brought on Isaac Schmidt to shore up the defence.
Despite their numerical advantage, Hoffenheim found it difficult to break down a well-organised Bremen defence in the opening exchanges. Fisnik Asllani fired wide from a promising position early on, and Andrej Kramarić headed over from a Vladimir Coufal cross from a good position.
Touré breaks the deadlock
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 26th minute when the quick-thinking Asllani took a quick corner to Kramarić after a Bremen mix-up. He spotted the unmarked Touré inside the box, and the youngster swept the ball into the far corner with his left foot, giving goalkeeper Mio Backhaus no chance. The goal meant Touré had scored in consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time in his career.
Bremen, to their credit, did not capitulate. Olivier Deman forced a save from Oliver Baumann shortly after the opener, and Justin Njinmah tested the Hoffenheim defence on the counter.
At the other end, Tim Lemperle had the chance to increase Hoffenheim's lead just before the break, but was denied by Backhaus.
Njinmah threatens on the break
The second half began with Hoffenheim immediately threatening, as Coufal's cross found Lemperle at the back post, but his header drifted just wide.
Njinmah then had a huge chance to equalise at the other end after being played through by Deman, but he could only fire straight at Baumann.
Wouter Burger then struck the post with what seemed to be a cross as Hoffenheim struggled to create chances despite the man advantage, and in the end, the hosts seemed happy to settle for the three points.
Man of the Match: Olivier Deman
Despite playing for the losing side, Olivier Deman was voted Man of the Match with 37 per cent of the vote. The Bremen left-back covered 12.1 km — the most of any outfield player on the pitch — and won 14 challenges, the highest of any away player. He also created a key chance for Njinmah in the 50th minute with a precise through ball, and tested Baumann with a powerful drive in the 29th minute. Deman was one of the few bright spots for a Bremen side reduced to ten men for the vast majority of the contest.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Hoffenheim 1.73 - Bremen 0.87
Fastest player: Justin Njinmah (Bremen), 35.96 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Bazoumana Touré (Hoffenheim), 9 per cent
Most pressed player: Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), 25 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Vladimir Coufal (Hoffenheim), +3.82
Fantasy Heroes: Vladimir Coufal (Hoffenheim, 329 Points), Olivier Deman (Bremen, 232 Points), Albian Hajdari (Hoffenheim, 244 Points)
