Shock in stoppage time – SV Werder drew 2-2 with FSV Mainz 05 in the final home game of 2017. In a sparkling first half, Philipp Bargfrede (2’) and Ishak Belfodil (17’) gave Werder a comfortable lead. Mainz got one back halfway through the second half, with substitute Robin Quaison getting the goal (70’) before Fabian Frei snatched the draw for the visitors with practically the last kick of the game.
Starting line-up and formation: Before the game, the Green-Whites had to deal with a setback. Max Kruse and Zlatko Junuzovic were both out with knocks. Kohfeldt made three changes from the game in Leverkusen, with Kruse, Lamine Sané and Ole Käuper, who made his SVW debut in Leverkusen, all coming out of the starting XI. Ishak Belfodil, Philipp Bargfrede and Robert Bauer were the trio who came in. Kohfeldt also switched his side to a 4-5-1 formation.
2nd minute: GOAAAAAALL! Blistering start for SVW! Thomas Delaney wins the ball from Danny Latza with a brilliant tackle and feeds the ball to Bargfrede who drives towards the goal without being closed down and finishes from 18 yards out. What a start!
6th minute: Levin Öztunali shoots with his left foot and it hits the crossbar. Jiri Pavlenka was unmoved in the Werder goal.
7th minute: A chance at the other end! Florian Kainz cuts inside and shoots but Robin Zentner makes a fantastic save to tip it over the bar.
17th minute: GOAAAAAALLLL! Ishak Belfodil heads it in to make it 2-0! Delaney wins the first header from a free-kick before Belfodil leaps to plant a looping header over Zentner into the net.
26th minute: Next huge chance! Maxi Eggestein has a big opportunity to make it three. Kainz plays it into Augustinsson who crosses from the left. The ball falls to Eggestein but Zentner makes a reaction save to keep it out.
45th minute: Half-time in the Weserstadion! A sparkling performance from SVW so far. Intelligent, quick and feisty – the lead is completely deserved!
48th minute: The visitors have come out all guns blazing. The ball reaches Muto whose shot inside the area is blocked by a diving Moisander.
70th minute: Mainz get a goal back. Substitute Quaison fights his way past Moisander after a long ball and fires past Pavlenka from close range. The Green-Whites are in for a tense final 20 minutes.
83rd minute: Belfodil forces Alexandru Maxim into a goal-line clearance. The corner from the left reaches the Algerian who heads towards goal but Maxim hoofs it clear.
88th minute: Mainz are throwing everyone forward. Werder have to hold firm.
93rd minute: Gutting. Fabian Frei scores to make it 2-2. The ball is launched in from a throw-in which Veljkovic heads clear but only as far as De Blasis who crosses it to the far post where Frei is standing to volley it home.
Summary: Shock in stoppage time. After a stunning first half, Werder fail to hold onto a 2-0 lead. Werder did not concede many chances to Mainz in the second half but the Zerofivers were clinical whilst the Green-Whites were not. Next up is the DFB-Pokal round of 16 tie against Freiburg on Wednesday 20th December at 18:30 CET which is the final Werder match in 2017.
