After the fastest red card in Werder Bremen’s club history, the way in the Bundesliga was clear for TSG 1899 Hoffenheim to win in the fight for the Champions League. It still remained exciting.
Due to the lackluster 1-0 (1-0) against Werder Bremen on Saturday, 1899 Hoffenheim still has a chance of qualifying for the Champions League one game day before the end of the season in the Bundesliga. VfB Stuttgart, with the same number of points (3-1 against Leverkusen) in fourth place, is only five goals short of the goal difference.
After the defeat, Werder had to wait a few hours to stay in the league. Only when Wolfsburg lost 1-0 against FC Bayern Munich in the evening was Bremen mathematically saved.
Touré with the decisive goal
SVW had to play outnumbered for almost the entire game because Yukinara Sugawara was shown red early for a serious foul (5th minute). Bazoumana Touré (26th) scored the goal of the day. “Today there was more possible, even with ten people,” Werder coach Daniel Thioune told Sportschau.
Hoffenheim’s coach Christian Ilzer received a compliment. “Bremen did well. It might have taken the 2-0 win to take some of their energy away. But Bremen were good until the end.”
Unnecessary kick from Bremen’s Sugawara
Bremen had weakened itself with the quickest red card in the club’s history. 72 seconds had only been played when Sugawara made a movement in midfield that was difficult to explain: with a lunge, he kicked Touré in the calf from behind with his sole. Referee Sören Storks initially allowed play to continue, but after VAR intervened on the screen, he correctly decided on red.
Yukinari Sugawara’s kick to Bazoumana Touré
“Then, of course, a lot of things that you thought about beforehand are to some extent wasteful,” Thioune said. He made a tactical change and brought in Isaac Schmidt for the 20-year-old Salim Musah. His starting eleven debut only lasted twelve minutes.
Bremen helps with Hoffenheim Opening goal
Hoffenheim found it surprisingly difficult to play dangerously in front of the goal when they had the majority. Club legend Andrej Kramaric only had his first good chance in the 25th minute, but headed over from eleven meters.
Shortly afterwards, Bremen again provided involuntary help. After a bad back pass from Jens Stage, Amos Pieper hesitated for a moment too long, only caught the ball behind the goal line and took an inexplicable amount of time running back there.
Hoffenheim was able to take the corner quickly and briefly, Kramaric passed it off for Touré and the 20-year-old scored well into the right corner.
Werder captain Marco Friedl spoke of one in the Sportschau interview “maximally amateurish” Defensive behavior. “We had analyzes during the week that Hoffenheim sometimes take free kicks incredibly quickly. Then it’s a corner and three players are looking somewhere.”
Hoffenheim’s Lemperle heads wide
But even with the lead behind them, Hoffenheim didn’t seem dominant and allowed Bremen to repeatedly get shots – in the 29th minute through Olivier Deman and in the 30th through Justin Njinmah.
TSG chances were a rarity, but shortly before the break Tim Lemperle had a great opportunity to make it 2-0: the attacker headed past the left from five meters.
Werder’s Njinmah misses a great chance to equalize
In the second half the game was still evenly balanced and Hoffenheim continued to look vulnerable. In the 50th minute, the hosts left Njinmah completely free to Oliver Baumann, but the Bremen player miserably shot at the national goalkeeper.
After an hour, TSG shifted gears. First Alexander Prass tested goalkeeper Mio Backhaus with a long-range shot, then a cross from Wouter Burger hit the post. However, it was only a short interim offensive.
In the final phase, Bremen loudly demanded a hand penalty, but Robin Harnac’s hit arm was close to his body. So Storks decided against a penalty and instead drew yellow for Njinmah and Werder coach Thioune for complaining.
Hoffenheim in Mönchengladbach, Bremen against Dortmund
Hoffenheim is a guest at Borussia Mönchengladbach on the last matchday, but for the Champions League they have to hope that Eintracht Frankfurt can wrest at least a draw from VfB Stuttgart. Bremen welcomes Borussia Dortmund, all games take place on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
