SV Werder are taking a point back to Bremen after a goalless draw against 1. FC Köln. In a hard-fought match without many individual pieces of quality from either side, the 50,000 spectators inside the RheinEnergie-Stadion at least got their money’s worth in a crazy final 10 minutes. In the end, the result helps neither side in their bid to climb the table. WERDER.DE sums up the action.
Line-up and formation: Werder head coach Alexander Nouri changed from the 3-5-2 formation to a strategy with four at the back for the game against the bottom-placed side. In a 4-2-3-1 system, Gebre Selassie, Sané, Moisander and Augustinsson made up the defensive line, with Thomas Delaney and Maximilian Eggestein in defensive midfield. Florian Kainz returned to the starting line-up on the left wing whilst Fin Bartels started at right wing. Captain Zlatko Junuzovic played at centre attacking midfield with Ishak Belfodil the lone striker up top. Incidentally, Nouri changed from his favoured 3-5-2 formation to a back four system in February 2017. Werder won 2-0 away from home against Mainz on that day and that led to an upturn in the team’s form and a brilliant second half of the season. At that time, Claudio Pizarro was still a Green-White. He was due to start for 1. FC Köln today but he was injured in the warm-up and so was replaced in the starting line-up shortly before kick-off.
8th minute: The first two opportunities of the game fall to the hosts. Sehrou Guirassy has two heading chances. The first is not threatening but Pavlenka does well to save the second effort from Pizarro’s last-minute replacement, who was left unmarked.
13th minute: Guirassy is left in way too much space once again and the Frenchman shoots from twenty yards out. Pavlenka can only parry the ball but Bittencourt cannot jump high enough to direct his header on target. At the other end, Belfodil has Werder’s first shot but it is wide of the mark.
28th minute: Werder have their first long period of possession in the Köln half and create their first real chance. Delaney’s lofted ball into the area is just too high for the unmarked Junuzovic.
31st minute: Another opportunity for SVW, Belfodil’s header from Junuzovic’s corner goes just wide of the far post. Werder are finally creating chances but Pavlenka has to be alert to save another chance from Guirassy at the other end.
45th minute: Half-time in the RheinEnergie-Stadion. Werder have two good phases at the start and after half an hour but the bottom-placed side have the upper hand and have had the more clear-cut goalscoring chances. The game is very stop and start with lots of fouls and misplaced passes. The positions of both sides in the table are showing in the teams’ performances.
49th minute: The Green-Whites make a good start to the second half. Eggestein controls Kainz’s cross on his chest but he doesn’t connect with his shot properly from 8 yards out and it is deflected wide. The resulting corner is met by Lamine Sané but his header flies just over the crossbar.
55th minute: Bittencourt has Köln’s first shot of the second half. Pavlenka does well to save the left winger’s shot. Both teams have started the second period with a high tempo and with more aggression.
80th minute: Hajrovic’s free-kick slams into the wall from a promising position and at the other end, Lamine Sané does brilliantly to stop Guirassy putting the hosts into the lead. Max Kruse is ready to come on from the sideline. Nouri is willing to risk the striker who is still not fully fit for the final 10 minutes.
86th minute: A huge stroke of luck for Werder! Handwerker’s cross is met by Guirassy, who only needs to tap it into an empty net from 3 yards out but somehow it goes wide of the goal – unbelievable!
88th minute: Guirassy has another chance to give Köln the lead. Pavlenka stretches his hand out to make a world-class stop.
90th minute: What a finish to the game! Hajrovic takes aim from long range but Horn tips the ball over the bar. The corner that follows is headed towards the far corner by Delaney but a Köln defender acrobatically clears it off the line.
93rd minute: Full time in Cologne. Augustinsson has a chance to win it with the last kick of the game but his shot goes wide of the far post.
Summary: A hard-fought game between two sides next to each other in the relegation zone. The draw is deserved, even though Werder have the football gods to thank that they did not go behind in the closing stages, with Sehrou Guirassy missing an incredible chance. Meanwhile it was a chance for Max Kruse to make his comeback after breaking his collarbone against Schalke.
