The highlights from the second half:
48th minute: Friedl picks up the ball 30 yards from goal and drives towards the penalty area with a silky run, but can’t quite find Josh Sargent with his cross and Freiburg manage to clear the danger.
61st minute: Pavlenka is on fire today! Nicolas Höfler’s volley is seen late by the Czech goalkeeper, however he manages to get down quickly and get a strong hand onto the ball to push it away for a corner. Great stop!
85th minute: Freiburg are becoming increasingly dangerous. The recently substituted Kwon finds himself in space inside the Werder penalty area, however his left-footed strike narrowly misses the target.
87th minute: Werder down to ten men. Philipp Bargfrede is sent off. The midfielder is shown a second yellow for a late challenge on Höfler.
89th minute: A huge slice of luck for SVW. Freiburg were celebrating after Gulde stabbed in the rebound after Nils Petersen had struck the post, however VAR judged the former Bremen man to be in an offside position and disallowed the goal.
90th minute + 7: The referee blows the whistle! Three points for Werder!
Match summary: Right from the off, Werder were clearly a much-improved side from Monday night. The Green-Whites maintained a strong hold on possession and patiently worked their way into the opposition penalty area on a number of occasions. Klaassen’s return to the side was noticeable, bringing a level of control to the Werder midfield, which was illustrated through his immaculate pass to set up Bittencourt’s opener.
Nevertheless, the hosts had plenty of chances of their own. Sallai’s early strike (17’) and Gebre Selassie’s fantastic block (26’) were both great opportunities for Christian Streich’s side. SCF continued to heap the pressure on in the second half, with the visitors pushing deeper and deeper. However, overall, Niklas Moisander and Co. defended aggressively and were well-organised, supported by the heroics of Jiri Pavlenka between the sticks. In the end there was no way through for Freiburg and Werder picked up a deserved win on the road.
