Niclas Füllkrug claimed a club record previously held by Rudi Völler while driving SV Werder Bremen to a 2–0 victory over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at the Weserstadion.
Füllkrug Matches Völler’s Historic Mark
The decisive moment arrived in the 57th minute on Saturday when Füllkrug fought through two defenders to smash a powerful shot under the crossbar past goalkeeper Baumann. The strike marked the forward’s seventh Bundesliga match with a goal, equaling a milestone set by club icon Rudi Völler during the 1982–83 season. While Völler scored eight times during that historic streak, Füllkrug pushed his current season tally to nine goals, giving him a superior scoring rate in the sequence. Natürlich freut mich das. Aber Rudi bleibt eine Legende,
Füllkrug told Sportschau when asked about the milestone. Füllkrug added: Ich schieße die Tore nicht, um den Rekord zu brechen.
Niclas Füllkrug trifft, wie er will, und übertrumpft Rudi Völler. Er ist der erste Bremer, der in acht Pflichtspielen in Folge ein Tor schießt. Für Füllkrug bleiben Rekorde jedoch zweitrangig. Vielmehr konzentriert er sich auf die gelungene Teamleistung gegen Hoffenheim. 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/0OJorPsoMD
The 33-year-old forward has 14 total goals for the national team from 24 appearances, though national team coach Jürgen Klopp recently noted his age when discussing recent squad selections, stating: Niclas Füllkrug schießt in der Bundesliga ein Tor nach dem anderen, aber er ist 33.
Klopp also referenced Lionel Messi, noting: Lionel Messi hat gerade mit, was war er, 39 oder 40, noch eine WM gespielt. Also es geht ja. Aber ich bin erst mal froh, dass Niclas wieder da ist und so spielt, wie er spielt, weil er körperliche Probleme gehabt hatte – mit was auch immer. Und jetzt wirkt er im Moment so frisch wie nie zuvor.
Klopp had left Füllkrug out of his first squad for the Nations League matches at the end of September and early October, and would announce his November squad the following Thursday. Füllkrug emphasized that he would always be available should the coach need him, stating: Das verstehe ich, wenn das der Fall sein sollte. Und wenn nicht, können wir immer noch darauf reagieren.
Despite those discussions, Füllkrug’s current form has kept Bremen surging in the domestic table.
Compact Defense and Second-Half Decisiveness
Hoffenheim struggled to unlock Bremen’s disciplined block in the final third. The visitors’ best opening before halftime came when Adam Hlosek directed a header toward the far post, only for defender Amos Pieper to clear the ball off the goal line for goalkeeper Karl Hein. Bitter for Bremen in the first half, Mitchell Weiser had to leave the pitch early due to an injury in the 16th minute. Before the breakthrough, Ludovit Reis had a clear shooting lane in the box after a pass from Füllkrug but missed the target, while Arthur appeared free on the right before Ozan Kabak cleared his cross, and Marco Grüll headed narrowly over the bar.
After the interval, Füllkrug tested Baumann from 20 meters out before breaking the deadlock in the 57th minute. As Hoffenheim threw numbers forward, Fisnik Asllani rose at the far post following a cross from Tim Lemperle in the 71st minute only to hit the side netting. Bremen then struck again in the 82nd minute. Marco Grüll fed Eren Dinkci, who eluded Kabak with a clever turn before curling a shot into the far corner to seal the 2–0 scoreline.
Standings and Team Reactions
The victory lifted Werder Bremen to 15 points, moving the Grün-Weißen up to fourth place in the Bundesliga table and extending their unbeaten run to seven league games following a 1–4 opening-day defeat against SC Freiburg. Hoffenheim remained on nine points and slipped to eleventh place. Füllkrug emphasized the collective effort behind his individual milestones: Ich freue mich über den Rekord, dennoch bleibt die Mannschaft und eine tolle Teamleistung im Vordergrund.
He also noted: Wir gehen immer wieder die Intensität und das macht extrem Spaß mit dieser Mannschaft,
and Charakterlich war das wieder top. Es macht mit dieser Mannschaft extrem viel Spaß.
TSG coach Christian Ilzer acknowledged the disappointment of the result following a week that also included a cup defeat. Von den Ergebnissen war es eine enttäuschende Woche,
Ilzer told Sportschau, though he praised his team for throwing everything into a difficult away fixture. Eren Dinkci praised the veteran forward, stating: Wenn er das 1:0 mit so einer Überzeugung reinhaut, überträgt das Energie auf die gesamte Mannschaft.
Defender Amos Pieper, goalkeeper Karl Hein, and Dinkci all highlighted Füllkrug’s role model status, while coach Daniel Thioune stated: Wie er sich da beeindruckend mit einer energetischen Leistung durchgesetzt hat, hat uns nochmal angezündet.
Bremen will travel to face VfB Stuttgart on Saturday evening, while Hoffenheim returns home to host FC Schalke 04 on Sunday evening.
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