SV Werder won for the second Bundesliga game in a row on Saturday afternoon with a 1-0 victory against DSC Arminia Bielefeld on home turf in the wohninvest WESERSTADION. Leonardo Bittencourt’s 27th minute strike from close range was enough for the Green-Whites to emerge as victors and take all three points on the day. The second half saw the newly promoted side from East Westphalia pile the pressure onto Werder, but fortunately were not ultimately able to convert any of their chances.
Line-up and formation: Following the successful trip to Gelsenkirchen last weekend, Werder coach Florian Kohfeldt named an unchanged starting XI. Jean-Manuel Mbom was rewarded for his strong performance against FC Schalke with another start in the second home game of the season. Hattrick hero Niclas Füllkrug also started for the second time this season.
Starting XI: Pavlenka, Augustinsson, Bittencourt, Füllkrug, Veljkovic, Sargent, Gebre Selassie, Klaassen, Friedl, Mbom, M. Eggestein.
Substitutes: Kapino, Osako, Selke, Agu, Moisander, Chong, J. Eggestein, Groß, Woltemade.
First half highlights:
9th minute: Werder start strong and put pressure on DSC early, dominating the midfield. Leonardo Bittencourt tries an effort but misses the target.
17th minute: Ludwig Augustinsson whips a free kick into the box which just eludes Joshua Sargent. Bielefeld keeper Stefan Ortega Moreno collects the ball.
20th minute: The side from East Westphalia get their first real chance of the afternoon. Fabian Klos receives the ball on the left-hand side but his tame effort is easily saved by Jiri Pavlenka.
21st minute: So close! Leonardo Bittencourt has the ball in the net as Werder break following a Bielefeld attack. Joshua Sargent finds Bittencourt free on the right-hand side of the box, who fires past Stefan Ortega Moreno! However, the goal is checked by VAR and is ruled out due to offside.
27th minute: Goal for Werder! Just like the disallowed goal, Leonardo Bittencourt finds space in the box and fires home, but this one counts! Marco Friedl starts the move on the right, before Jean-Manuel Mbom does well to cross into the box. He finds Leo in the middle, who takes the ball under control and slots into the corner.
40th minute: Another good attacking move from the Green-Whites. A Leonardo Bittencourt cross from the right finds Ludwig Augustinsson, who heads towards goal but there isn’t enough power to beat the goalkeeper.
Second half highlights:
59th minute: Bielefeld start the second half looking refreshed and energetic. Milos Veljkovic slips in midfield, allowing Cebio Soukou to take possession and find Ritsu Doan on the right. However, Maximilian Eggestein is there to cover and win the ball back.
64th minute: Bielefeld pile the pressure on at the Weserstadion. Fabian Klos sees his headed effort saved by Jiri Pavlenka, before a cross from the right finds its way to Sergio Córdova. He finds himself in space but is not able to hit the target with his volley.
70th minute: A quick throw-in from Ludwig Augustinsson to Leonardo Bittencourt leads to another Werder chance. The goalscorer passes into the middle, but there are no green and white shirts there.
71st minute: Sergio Córdova adds a little excitement to the match just before he is substituted. The Bielefeld man finds himself in a lot of space and takes off, but his finish is lacklustre.
77th minute: What a chance for Bielefeld! After a long free kick, Sven Schipplock receives the ball on the left and heads to Mike van der Hoorn in the middle, who sees his headed effort fly just over the bar.
90+4th minute: Drama in the closing minutes! Bielefeld have the ball in the net but it won’t count due to a foul as the ball was put into the goal. A ball into the area from the left-hand side is met by Joan Simun Edmundsson, who powers a header towards goal that Jiri Pavlenka does brilliantly to parry away. The ball is only cleared as far as Mike van der Hoorn, who has the ball in the net but fouls Veljkovic in doing so, fortunately for Werder!
Conclusion: SV Werder Bremen defeat DSC Arminia Bielefeld with a narrow 1-0 victory. The Green-Whites dominated the first half, having most possession and scoring the only goal of the game in the 27th minute through Leonardo Bittencourt. After the interval, Bielefeld started to cause Werder problems as they piled on the pressure. The side from East Westphalia created a number of chances but could not put the ball in the net until stoppage time, which was ruled out. Werder take all three points!
