Late Keke Topp stunner rescues point for Werder Bremen against Borussia Mönchengladbach
Keke Topp's stunning 94th-minute equaliser earned Werder Bremen a deserved point against Borussia Mönchengladbach after Haris Tabaković had given the visitors the lead with a clinical finish just after the hour mark.
Werder Bremen 1-1 Borussia MönchengladbachGoals: 0-1 Tabaković 61’ (assist: Honorat), 1-1 Topp 90’+4 (assist: Deman)
After disastrous results in recent weeks, both sides were in desperate need of a win to turn their fortunes around. Bremen came into the game winless in nine, but welcomed back captain Marco Friedl from suspension, while Samuel Mbangula made his first start of 2026.
Gladbach coach Eugen Polanski made three changes, with Fabio Chiarodia, Yannik Engelhardt and Luca Netz all coming into the starting lineup as the Foals looked to improve upon a run that had seen them win just one of their past six league matches.
Few first-half chances
Both teams began cautiously, with neither wanting to make a costly error. The first meaningful chance came in the fourth minute when Franck Honorat fired well wide for the visitors from a tough angle. Gladbach's Rocco Reitz also missed the target with an effort from the edge of the box following a corner.
However, the best opportunity of the half came in the 20th minute when Mbangula broke forward on the counter and fed Justin Njinmah, whose shot from a tight angle was saved well by Moritz Nicolas. Bremen captain Friedl then headed wide from a Romano Schmid corner as the sides went into the break level.
Tabaković breaks deadlock
Bremen started the second half brightly, with Yukinari Sugawara forcing a save from Nicolas with a powerful drive. The hosts came even closer when Karim Coulibaly flicked on a corner that narrowly missed the lurking Sugawara at the back post.
Despite Bremen's pressure, it was Gladbach who took the lead against the run of play in the 61st minute. Reitz found Honorat on the right, and the winger delivered a perfect cross for Tabaković to sweep home from close range.
Topp rescues point at the death
Bremen bombarded the Gladbach goal as the match entered its closing stages. Isaac Schmidt, on as a substitute, saw his shot saved by Nicolas before Senne Lynen struck the post with a powerful effort from outside the box. Olivier Deman was also denied by the impressive Nicolas as Bremen continued to push forward.
Gladbach then nearly sealed the points in the first minute of stoppage time when substitute Shuto Machino was thwarted by a brave save from Mio Backhaus.
Just as it seemed Bremen's efforts would be in vain, they found a dramatic equaliser in the 94th minute. After a corner was partially cleared, the ball fell to substitute Topp, who unleashed a stunning left-footed strike into the far corner to send the Weserstadion into raptures.
Man of the Match: Haris Tabaković
Despite his side ultimately failing to hold on for victory, Tabaković's clinical finish looked to have made the difference for long periods of this contest. The striker took his goal brilliantly, showing excellent positioning to meet Honorat's cross before sweeping a first-time finish past Backhaus. His movement caused problems for the Bremen defence throughout, and he displayed good hold-up play to bring his teammates into the game.
Tabaković's performance demonstrated why he has been such an important player for Gladbach this season, even if his goal wasn't quite enough to secure all three points on this occasion.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Bremen 1.5 - Mönchengladbach 1.42
Fastest player: Justin Njinmah (Bremen), 34.35 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-1 by Keke Topp (Bremen), 33 per cent
Most pressed player: Samuel Mbangula (Bremen), 34 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Jens Stage (Bremen), +3.14
Fantasy Heroes: Olivier Deman (Bremen, 408 Points), Samuel Mbangula (Bremen, 260 Points), Romano Schmid (Bremen, 253 Points)
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