In the Bundesliga, VfB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen have struggled for a long time. Two dream goals from Bremen decided the game. Bitter: Stuttgart also lost striker Serhou Guirassy.
On Sunday (February 5th, 2023) SV Werder won 2-0 (0-0) in Stuttgart. Bremen’s Jens Stage celebrated his first Bundesliga goal (59th minute) after a long-range shot.
Marvin Ducksch’s flick to the final score (77′) was even better. The win sees Werder pass Gladbach in eighth place, while Stuttgart remains in 16th relegation place.
Guirassy will be absent from Stuttgart for a longer period of time
Also bitter for Stuttgart: VfB lost striker Serhou Guirassy due to an adductor injury. He had to be substituted after 25 minutes. “It doesn’t look so good”said VfB trainer Bruno Labbadia, who was on the sports show microphone “a fracture” accounted for in the game after the Guirassy injury. But you still have to wait for the MRI scan on Monday, “then we can say more”.
His counterpart Ole Werner judged that after a difficult start, his team “made a very good away game”. In the first round, he still lacked determination.
Stuttgart played superior at first
But that’s not all. Werder Bremen had major problems with the remaining defense from the start, acted erratically in the build-up game and made mistake after mistake. That was also transferred to goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka. He punched an air hole in his own sixteen and gave the ball to Guirassy. Pavlenka was then able to parry (9′).
Significant: After ten minutes, Stuttgart had 70 percent of the game and more than two-thirds of duels won. Werder were still waiting for the first shot on goal when VfB had already tried four times.
Little works without Guirassy – Bremen fights its way in
However, the VfB momentum fizzled out afterwards. Bremen’s Leonardo Bittencourt missed the first chance (15′). Up until the half-time whistle, Werder worked their way into the game with a committed mileage. Because Guirassy had to leave the field injured, nothing went forward at VfB.
And Bremen almost took the lead through Niclas Füllkrug, but he helped himself in the header duel against Hiroki Ito with a nudge. The goal didn’t count (36′). In return, Luca Pfeiffer, who had replaced Guirassy, narrowly missed the goal after a corner kick (45+2).
Stage’s dream goal forces Stuttgart to change plans
After the restart, highlights on both sides were in short supply for a long time. It was a game between the penalty areas without brilliant ideas, but at least with stable defensive lines.
Bremen then ended this almost 15-minute playful lethargy of both opponents. Füllkrug put his body in with a high ball, Konstantinos Mavropanos accidentally pointed the ball to Stage in a duel. This sank the ball fantastically in the angle.
And thus forced Stuttgart to step up a gear. Labbadia changed the statics again. Winger Führich had to give way, Thomas Kastanaras came to take the crosses from Borna Sosa as a second center forward alongside Pfeiffer. Sosa replaced Nikolas Nartey (70′). But there was no getting through for Stuttgart. Instead, Bremen’s Ducksch put the end of the day with the second Sunday shot of the day after a submission by Füllkrug.
Stuttgart in Freiburg, Bremen welcomes BVB
On the 20th match day, VfB Stuttgart is challenged away to Freiburg. Meanwhile, the promoted side from Bremen welcomes Borussia Dortmund (both Saturday, 3.30 p.m.).
