Werder Bremen defends itself in vain: RB Leipzig continues its run. – Sports

When the sun of this fantastic autumn day lost its last duel against the electric light of the floodlight masts over the Weser Stadium, the magical atmosphere that has carried Werder Bremen through large parts of this season returned once more. The excitement, the euphoria, the feeling that anything is possible. The Bremen fans, all of Bremen, one might say, pushed the returnee to the Bundesliga with a lot of love and gratitude through the season so far; Love, because it’s unshakable anyway, and gratitude for many beautiful moments and the certainty that the team again stands for something that looks like football.

Unfortunately, the schedule designer of the DFL scheduled the last two pairings before the winter break in the style of a class teacher who has math and German written on the last two days before the holidays. That’s why Bremen are now going into the longest winter break in Bundesliga history with the impression of two defeats, the 1:6 against Bayern Munich was followed by a 1:2 against RB Leipzig. There is still no reason for resignation, even if Marco Friedl was “very disappointed” that he didn’t take anything with him.

However, RB Leipzig, one of the most formative sides in the league, struggled in Bremen before winning a promising and hard-fought game. In the final phase, wave after wave rolled onto the goal of the guests, who once again lived up to their reputation of being the best guests at a party: when everyone else gets tired, they turn it up again. But no ball wanted to go in to equalize, whether Niclas Füllkrug, the World Cup driver, or a Leipzig player in dire need headed on his own goal. Leipzig’s coach Marco Rose rumbled on the line, Werder’s Ole Werner waved his arms, both coaches saw yellow cards. What a final phase.

RB coach Marco Rose is satisfied: “We deserve to put ourselves in a position that is good for us.”

Of course, the moment of the game belonged to a player who has been controversial in Bremen since he has been there for the first team. Christian Groß, 33, scored his first goal on his 50th Bundesliga appearance and it was one that bore his name – big. The ball flew wonderfully from the left edge of the penalty area into the left corner of the goalkeeper and was appropriately beautiful for Christian Groß’s once-in-a-lifetime moment (57th minute).

At the age of 30, the then third division player Groß was promoted to the first eleven and league by the then Werder coach Florian Kohfeldt, since then the Bremen fans have rubbed against no player more than him. The desire for a faster, younger, more attentive six is ​​with them every year under the Christmas tree in winter and on the sun lounger in summer, but Groß has convinced every coach to Kohfeldt with his prudence and calmness. As the saying goes, the goal should have done him good, even if Leipzig defender Willi Orbán deflected the ball minimally.

It was the interim equalizer in a game that had long been open at that point. The Bremen team “slept through the first 15 minutes,” said Marco Friedl, as the Leipzig team played football quite unchallenged, which temporarily made them the leaders of the rest of the Bundesliga after a poor start to the season. So from everyone except Bayern. “We deserve to put ourselves in a position that is good for us and where we see ourselves,” said RB coach Rose later.

Turban-Orbán heads all the balls out of the penalty area almost alone

The logical consequence of the superiority was the 1-0 through André Silva (16th minute) and the concern that Werder would invite the next high potential in the league to score goals after the swatter in Munich. The concern was unfounded. The people of Leipzig, who looked like representatives of a medical supply store – Nkunku wore a bandage on his damaged right wrist, Gvardiol a mask over his broken nose and after a good hour Orbán also had a turban on his head – gave the Bremen team an early lead more space without remaining unduly dangerous. Already Füllkrug, whom the audience had said goodbye to with hearty applause as they entered the hated World Cup in Qatar, could have scored the equalizer. Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich stood in the way (22nd minute).

And after the break, in the now very atmospheric twilight zone of the Weser Stadium, a game developed that at least didn’t damage Werder’s reputation as one of the best climbers since RB Leipzig itself. The team once again took the high risk that their offensive game entails. Xaver Schlager made Bremen’s efforts 2-1 (71′), then the late Werder wave, which has shaped this season so far, rolled into injury time again. The many crosses into the penalty area reached Füllkrug’s head twice, Blaswich parried twice. Turban-Orbán headed the rest from the penalty area almost alone, only the good atmosphere in the Weser Stadium thanks to a last good game that stayed. “It was annoying for today,” said Werder coach Ole Werner, “after a good six months.”

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