Werder Bremen snatch dramatic late win against ten-man Eintracht Frankfurt
Werder Bremen left it dramatically late to see off ten-man Eintracht Frankfurt with a 2-1 win at the Commerzbank-Arena on Saturday.
Frankfurt 1-2 Bremen
Goals: 0-1 Osako (23'), 1-1 Haller (54' pen.), 1-2 Rashica (90+6')
Red card: Willems (33')
Frankfurt, who had Kevin Trapp making his second debut between their posts, looked keen to build on their opening day 2-0 win at Freiburg as they pressed early on, creating an opportunity which Sebastien Haller squandered. Things slowly started to turn when Yuya Osako's comfortable finish past Trapp put Bremen in front with the guests' first big chance. Things then went from bad to worse for the hosts when Jetro Willems was given his marching orders for violent conduct as he grappled with Theodor Gebre Selassie. Having already lost Carlos Salcedo to injury as early as the 11th minute, Frankfurt coach Adi Hütter was forced into his second change with his side chasing the game.
Fortune swung back Frankfurt's way early in the second half when Jiri Pavlenka felled Mijat Gacinovic inside the penalty area and was knocked out in the process. A penalty was awarded, but it was 18-year-old debutant Luca Plogmann who stood up to face Haller as Pavlenka was carried away. The rookie custodian's first touch was to fish the ball out of his own net as Haller coolly slotted home. Osako thought he had restored Bremen's league on the hour mark, but the offside flag was this time correctly raised to deny him. Trapp turned a Max Kruse shot over before David Abraham headed a Gebre Selassie shot off the line with his goalkeeper beaten. Seven minutes were added on for Pavlenka's injury and Bremen took advantage with Rashica's direct free-kick earning them victory at the death.
Match stats
- Osako became only the second Japanese player to score for Bremen, after Yasuhiko Okudera, who scored 11 times for the club up to March 1986.Osako – also the first Japanese player to score in the Bundesliga this season – had a hand in all five of Bremen's first-half chances.Haller has converted all three penalties he has taken in the Bundesliga.Luca Plogmann became the first goalkeeper born since the turn of the millennium to play in the Bundesliga.Bremen’s 1-1 draw with Hannover saw them register a point and score on the opening weekend for the first time in four years.Max Kruse - Bremen’s top scorer last season - has made more appearances against Frankfurt (17) than against any club. He has only score twice against the Eagles, however - for St. Pauli in Bundesliga 2 and Freiburg in the Bundesliga.
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Line-ups
Frankfurt: Trapp - da Costa, Abraham, Salcedo (Ndicka 11'), Willems - Torro, Fernandes – Müller (Tawatha 35'), Gacinovic (de Guzman 68'), Kostic – Haller
Unused subs: Rönnow, Jovic, Russ, Paciencia
Absentees: Chandler (knee), Rebic (ankle)
Coach: Adi Hütter
Bremen: Pavlenka (Plogmann 53') - Gebre Selassie, Veljkovic, Moisander, Augustinsson – Bargfrede (Rashica 83') - Eggestein, Klaassen - Osako, Kainz – Harnik (Pizarro 59'), Kruse
Unused subs: Friedl, Langkamp, J. Eggestein, Kainz
Absentees: Bartels (Achilles), Drobny (calf), Johannsson (ankle), Kapino (thigh), Käuper (ankle), Zetterer (pseudarthrosis)
Coach: Florian Kohfeldt
Watch: Trapp "happy to be back" at Frankfurt after returning from PSG
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