Werder Bremen stun Bayer Leverkusen with unlikeliest of comebacks
Werder Bremen appeared set for a third-straight competitive loss in 2025/26, until the 10-man hosts dramatically pegged back visiting Bayer Leverkusen, for whom Patrik Schick had netted an earlier double.
Werder Bremen 3-3 Bayer Leverkusen
Goals: 0-1 Schick 5’ (assist: Tella), 0-2 Tillman 35’, 1-2 Schmid 44’ (pen.), 1-3 Schick 64’ (pen.), 3-2 Schmidt 76’ (assist: Topp), 3-3 Coulibaly 90’+4
Red card: Stark 63’
Both sides came into this clash seeking a first Bundesliga win of the season. Bremen hadn't won their first home game of a campaign since 2013/14 while the visitors were on an incredible, competition record of 34 away matches in the Bundesliga without defeat.
Schick and Tillman put Leverkusen in control
The visitors made a dream start when Schick fired them ahead after just five minutes. Coulibaly's error in possession allowed Nathan Tella to drive forward, reach the byline and cut back for Schick, who rifled the ball high into the net past Mio Backhaus.
Leverkusen controlled the early stages but Bremen gradually found their rhythm, with Marco Grüll enjoying the best of the away chances when curling a shot that drifted just wide.
Leverkusen later took full control, doubling their lead in the 35th minute when debutant and USMNT international Malik Tillman controlled Christian Kofane's cross and volleyed into the corner.
Bremen's dramatic comeback stuns Leverkusen
Bremen earned a lifeline just before half-time when Samuel Mbangula was fouled by Axel Tape inside the box, with Romano Schmid confidently converting the resulting penalty.
Leverkusen dominated possession after the break and the match appeared to be decided by two incidents in quick succession.
First, Niklas Stark received his second yellow card for a desperate lunge on Kofane inside the area, with Schick converting the resulting penalty to make it 3-1 in the 64th minute.
Despite being a man down, however, Bremen refused to surrender. Substitute Isaac Schmidt, making his debut, dramatically reduced the deficit in the 76th minute. When Mark Flekken inexplicably strayed far from his goal, Schmidt capitalised on the error, rolling the ball past the stranded keeper.
As the clock ticked into stoppage time, Bremen mounted one final assault. Leonardo Bittencourt's cross found Senne Lynen, whose header struck the crossbar. With Leverkusen's defence frozen, Coulibaly pounced on the rebound to volley home and send the Weserstadion into delirium.
Player of the Match: Patrik Schick
On an afternoon of high drama, Schick demonstrated why he remains one of the Bundesliga's most lethal finishers. The Czech striker was clinical in front of goal, scoring twice from his only two shots on target – first with a powerful finish from Tella's cutback, then with a calmly dispatched penalty that gave Backhaus no chance.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Bremen 2.5 - Leverkusen 2.1
Fastest player: Tella (Leverkusen), 35.76 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 2-3 by Schmidt (Bremen), 57 percent
Most pressed player: Schmid (Bremen), 27 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Yukinari Sugawara (Bremen), +2.77
Fantasy Heroes: Schick (Leverkusen, 297 Points), Schmid (Bremen, 262 Points), Coulibaly (Bremen, 239 Points)
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