SV Werder Bremen also kept a clean sheet in the second friendly in Lohne on Saturday afternoon. The Green-Whites won 1-0 against second-division side St. Pauli thanks to a goal from Milot Rashica shortly before half time. In terms of entertainment, the game was inferior to the earlier match against FC Groningen (4-0, match report).
Line-up and formation: Florian Kohfeldt selected an attacking side for the second match. Four attackers, Rashica, Selke, Osako and Füllkrug, started the match. Ilia Gruev and Felix Agu were behind them in midfield, supported by plenty of experience. The team lined up in a 4-2-2-2 formation.
Starting XI: Dos Santos Haesler - Rashica (67’ Dinkci), Osako, Selke, Füllkrug (67‘ Schmid), Agu, Moisander (46‘ Nawrocki), Gebre Selassie, Gruev (78‘ Straudi), M. Eggestein und Groß.
Bench: Pavlenka - Schmid, Straudi, Nawrocki und Dinkci.
First half highlights:
25th min: Playing in central midfield, Ilia Gruev has the first shot on goal of the match. He dribbles through midfield before taking a shot from the right hand side of the box with his left foot. The ball seems destined for the corner but keeper Dennis Smarsch keeps it out with a smart save.
41st min: An attack from the left, led by Felix Agu and Niclas Füllkrug, ends with Milot Rashica reaching for the ball in the centre, but a defender does well enough to put him off.
43rd min: Goooaaaal! Milot Rashica makes it 1-0 to SV Werder Bremen! Werder’s number 7 has the courage to take on a shot from almost 25 metres, which flies past keeper Smarsch into the goal.
Second half highlights:
57th min: After a risky back pass by Felix Agu, keeper Eduardo Dos Santos Haesler has to make a tackle in the penalty area to preserve the lead.
58th min: After a one-two with Davie Selke, Maximilian Eggestein shoots with a scissor-kick that goes wide of goal. Acrobatic and entertaining from the number 35!
60th min: Milot Rashica wins the ball in his own penalty area and then leads a counter attack. He travels the length of the pitch before receiving the ball in the opposition’s box from Niclas Füllkrug, but the danger is snuffed out.
74th min: Serkan Dursun shoots from close range after a one-two on the left flank. Goalkeeper Eduardo Dos Santos Haesler makes the save and gathers the ball.
80th min: Yuya Osako passes to Davie Selke, who could shoot first time but chooses to take a touch. His shot is turned behind by goalkeeper Himmelmann, and the subsequent corner comes to nothing.
90th min: The final whistle! Werder register their fifth victory in five pre-season friendlies.
Match summary: It was a difficult game against a well-organised St. Pauli side that sat deep. There were few chances for either team’s attackers. Werder took the lead with their only chance of the game to that point. The second 90 minutes of the Werder Opening Weekend only really got going towards the end, when Eduardo Dos Santos Haesler made a good save and Davie Selkie missed a great opportunity to make it 2-0.
