Jovan Milošević strikes against Heidenheim to end Werder Bremen's winless run
Werder Bremen defeated Heidenheim 2-0 thanks to Jovan Milošević and a late Hennes Behrens own goal to end their 13-game winless run and climb out of the relegation zone.
Werder Bremen 2-0 Heidenheim Goals: 1-0 Milošević 57’ (assist: Schmid) 2-0 Behrens 90+6’ (OG)
Werder Bremen hosted Heidenheim in a crucial relegation battle at the Weserstadion. The home side entered the contest on a dismal run of 13 Bundesliga matches without a win, having slipped to 17th in the table following their 2-1 defeat at St. Pauli.
Daniel Thioune was still searching for his first victory as Bremen manager, with the threat of becoming the first Werder coach to lose his first four league games in charge. Heidenheim, meanwhile, sat at the bottom of the table with just 14 points – a tally from which no team in the three-points-for-a-win era has ever avoided relegation at this stage of a season. Frank Schmidt's men had at least ended a four-match losing streak by drawing 3-3 with Stuttgart in their previous outing.
Bremen started brightly, dominating possession and forcing the visitors to defend deep. Jens Stage had the first significant chance after 19 minutes, heading Romano Schmid's cross straight at Frank Feller. The hosts thought they had taken the lead when Olivier Deman finished from close range, but VAR intervened as Milošević was deemed to be in an offside position and impeding Feller.
Milošević then missed a golden opportunity, sliding in at the back post but somehow steering Schmid's excellent cross wide with the goal gaping. Heidenheim grew into the game as the half progressed, with Arijon Ibrahimović firing several efforts off target. The half ended dramatically as Schmid beat Feller only to see his shot hit the post, before putting the rebound into the side netting.
Heidenheim made two changes at the break, introducing Stefan Schimmer and Leonidas Stergiou, and started the second half positively. Schimmer narrowly missed with a shot from a tight angle, before Stergiou fired wide from a promising position.
Despite this bright spell from the visitors, it was Bremen who broke the deadlock in the 57th minute. Schmid produced another excellent cross from the left, and this time Milošević made no mistake, directing a powerful header into the corner past Feller. The goal visibly lifted the hosts, who controlled proceedings thereafter. Deman picked up a yellow card for pulling back Ibrahimović as Heidenheim sought an equaliser, but Bremen's defence stood firm.
Keke Topp missed a chance to seal the points when clean through on goal, blazing over the bar in the 90th minute. The victory was finally confirmed deep into stoppage time when Justin Njinmah's shot was saved by Feller but rebounded off Hennes Behrens and into the net for an unfortunate own goal.
Player of the Match: Jovan Milošević
Jovan Milošević showed admirable resilience to bounce back from his first-half miss and deliver when it mattered most for Bremen. The striker positioned himself perfectly to meet Schmid's cross and direct his header beyond Feller for what proved to be the decisive goal.
This was Milošević's third goal of 2026, accounting for nearly half of Bremen's total strikes this year. His header demonstrated perfect technique, and his overall performance combined determined pressing with intelligent movement. The young forward's match-winning contribution earned him 64% of the fan vote for Player of the Match.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Bremen 3.47 - Heidenheim 0.99
Fastest player: Conteh (FCH), 34.59 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Milošević (SVW), 23 per cent
Most pressed player: Schmid (SVW), 21 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Conteh (FCH), +2.71
Fantasy Heroes: Schmid (Bremen, 293 Points), Milošević (Bremen, 229 Points), Mainka (Heidenheim 1846, 215 Points)
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