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Werder rescue a point as Topp equalises at the death
MATCH REPORT FOLLOWING THE HOME GAME AGAINST BORUSSIA MÖNCHENGLADBACH
31/01/26
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SV Werder Bremen avoided defeat in the final minute of their home game against Borussia Mönchengladbach. In front of a sold-out home crowd of 41,800, Keke Topp lit up the Weserstadion with a left-footed volley to secure a 1-1 draw for the Green-Whites in the fourth minute of added time.
FIRST-HALF HIGHLIGHTSNicolas denies Njinmah to keep it level
Having missed Tuesday’s home game against Hoffenheim through suspension, captain Marco Friedl returned to the heart of defence as Gladbach came to town. Steffen also set out his first XI with Samuel Mbangula in the front line, a first start for the forward since mid-December. It was clear to anyone watching that neither team was buoyed with confidence following a tricky few weeks for both clubs; Borussia had a slight edge in the opening proceedings, with chances through Franck Honorat (4’) and Rocco Reitz (14’), although both efforts ultimately went begging.
The game started to really get going after the 20-minute mark. Julian Malatini put the ball out for a Gladbach corner, with Florian Neuhaus trying to take the resulting set-piece quickly. His teammates were caught unawares, however, and Werder found themselves breaking at speed with Samuel Mbangula on the ball. SVW’s number 7 managed to play Justin Njinmah in behind the Foals’ backline, although the angle was too tight for the forward to make anything of the chance, and Moritz Nicolas confidently made the save at his near post.
The Green-Whites had more control of the game than the visitors over the first 45 minutes, allowing them very little space to attack on the counter. Despite a strong grip on proceedings, Steffen’s side lacked the cutting edge to reward themselves with an opener. A Romano Schmid corner came close to being nodded in by Friedl, but the captain just couldn’t head home to open Werder’s account for the day, sealing the scoreline at 0-0 as both teams went inside for the break.
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HALBZEIT 2Tabakovic ice-cold from ten yards, topp levels late on
Werder looked determined to inject some much-needed energy into the game as they headed back out of the tunnel, pushing hard to take the lead in front of a home crowd. Yukinari Sugawara tested Nicolas with a well-struck effort from range soon after the restart (47’), before missing a golden chance in front of an open net just two minutes later as he failed to connect with the header following an Olivier Deman corner (49’). Njinmah looked set to open the scoring on 53 minutes, although Gladbach’s keeper sprang into action once again to prevent a deficit for his side.
Despite a promising start to the second half from Werder, it was the visitors who got themselves ahead just after the hour mark. Honorat burst down the right flank, driving in toward the box as he neared Backhaus’ goal. He played a simple ball across the area to an onrushing Haris Tabakovic, and the poacher finished coolly from ten yards out to put Gladbach one to the good, scoring his tenth goal of the season in the process (61’). Gladbach proceeded to sit deep from then on, and Werder were tasked with taking on a low block for the final half hour of the game.
The Green-Whites gave their all to try and break down a compact opponent as the clock ticked towards full time. First, a cross in from Deman found Marco Grüll at the back post, although the substitute’s header flew wide of the target (81’). The miss marked the start of a flurry of shots in an attempt to find a late equaliser, with Isaac Schmidt’s effort saved by Nicolas (83’) and Senne Lynen’s long-range strike crashing onto the post (84’). Deman was the next player to try to beat Gladbach’s keeper, although once again the shot-stopper came out on top (87’).
Five minutes later, it looked like Gladbach might seal the three points down the other end as Shuto Machino ran onto an excellent cross into the Werder box, although his shot was matched by a strong save from Backhaus to give Steffen’s side a fighting chance to find the leveller. Gladbach’s inability to wrap up the win with a second goal proved crucial, as substitute Keke Topp volleyed in a 94th-minute beauty to rescue a point for the Green-Whites. After two home games in a row, SV Werder Bremen are back on the road next Saturday, 7th February, as they take on SC Freiburg away from home. Kick-off at the Europa-Park Stadion is scheduled for 15:30 CET.
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MATCH STATISTICS
SV Werder Bremen: Backhaus - Malatini (75' Schmidt), Friedl, Coulibaly - Sugawara (64' Grüll), Lynen, Stage, Deman - Schmid, Mbangula (89' Topp) - Njinmah (64' Milošević)
Borussia Mönchengladbach: Nicolas - Sander (69' Friedrich), Elvedi, Chiarodia - Scally (84' Castrop), Engelhardt, Netz - Reitz, Neuhaus (57' Stöger) - Honorat, Tabakovic (84' Machino)
Goals: 0-1 Tabakovic (61'), 1-1 Topp (90+4')
Yellow cards: - / Reitz
Referee: Felix Zwayer
Attendance: 41.800 (sold out)
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