Clinical Bremen despatch Augsburg
Bremen - SV Werder Bremen moved to within five points of the top four thanks to an entertaining 3-2 home win over FC Augsburg.
Goal fest
Tobias Werner’s 78th-minute strike made for an anxious finale, but Bremen held on to extend their winning league run to five.
Bremen flew out of the traps, with Davie Selke and Clemens Fritz going close, before Assani Lukimya rose to head home a clever free kick from Zlatko Junuzovic inside ten minutes. Augsburg had offered little, but pulled level when Ragnar Klavan grabbed his second goal in as many games from a Raul Bobadilla corner. Parity lasted just two minutes, though, as Franco Di Santo sent Manninger the wrong way from the penalty spot after Klavan was adjudged to have fouled Selke. Failing to learn their lesson, Augsburg were caught cold yet again late in the half when Theo Gebre Selassie outjumped his marker to power in another cracking Junuzovic delivery.
The Green-Whites continued in much the same vein after the restart as Junuzovic rattled the bar from range. The hosts kept Manninger on his toes, none more so than when the veteran stopper was forced off his line to clean up following a mistake by Africa Cup of Nations finalist Abdul Rahman Baba. Junuzovic struck the post with a wicked inswinging free kick, before Augsburg pulled one back through Werner after Raphael Wolf made a meal of a Shawn Parker corner. Werner could have levelled for the visitors, but was unable to make full contact with Dong-Won Ji’s flighted cross.
Line-ups and statistics
