Werder Bremen ended the first half of the Bundesliga with a draw. It’s an intense game against 1.FC Heidenheim that has a few highlights to offer.
In the third attempt it should be enough for a draw for Werder Bremen. After all, coach Ole Werner’s team had lost the two previous games against 1. FC Heidenheim.
On Wednesday evening (January 15, 2025), the North Germans drew 3:3 (1:1) against FCH coach Frank Schmidt’s team in an extremely intense and entertaining game.
While the Bremen team still had their best first half of the season in eleven years, the Heidenheim team remained in the middle of the relegation battle despite their partial success.
Early leadership
It took a full 45 seconds until the fog horn sounded for the first time in the Weser Stadium – and acoustically accompanied a goal by the home team.
After several Bremen players were able to pass the ball to each other in the Heidenheim penalty area with almost no resistance, attacker Marco Grüll made it 1-0 (1st) for the North Germans from around eight meters from the turn – somewhat unfortunately deflected by defender Patrick Mainka.
Duksch misses Bremen’s second goal
The Bremen team remained the more dominant and better team against the unsettled FCH, who also had to do without Niklas Dorsch, who suffered a knee injury after just nine minutes and had to be substituted.
Marvin Duksch had already scored the second goal after a good ten minutes, but Heidenheim’s goalkeeper Kevin Müller blocked the Werder striker’s low shot with a remarkable reflex against the crossbar, and the ball then bounced back into the field.
It took 17 minutes for Heidenheim to appear in front of the Bremen goal for the first time. Jan Schöppner’s long-range shot narrowly missed the Werder goal. However, Werner’s team was initially unimpressed by this and tried to score the second goal. But things turned out completely differently.
First Wanner fails, then Schöppner scores
After Bremen lost the ball on the outside line, things happened very quickly. First, Paul Wanner failed from six meters alone in front of the brilliantly reacting Werder goalkeeper Michael Zetterer, but Schöppner used the rebound with a precisely circled ball from a good 16 meters to make it surprisingly 1-1 (30th).
Afterwards, there was clear uncertainty at Werder. That almost had further consequences: Frans Krätzig came close to giving FCH the lead – just two minutes after the equalizer – but he missed from ten meters.
Open game after restart
And Marvin Pieringer was also close to scoring Heidenheim’s second goal, but the attacker managed to push the ball completely unchallenged from six meters next to the Bremen goal (40th). In return, Mitchell Weiser also narrowly failed with a header.
After the restart, an open game developed from the start, in which both teams repeatedly tried to set offensive accents. It was Bremen who took advantage of their first big chance. After a sharp cross from Weiser, goalkeeper Müller initially blocked it with his fist, but Duksch was right in the path of the ball and scored from eight meters to make it 2-1 (56th).
Scienza saves Heidenheim a point
But the FCH was anything but shocked and reacted promptly: Winter newcomer Budu Zivzivadze passed into the Bremen penalty area, where Luca Kerber only had to put his foot out from four meters to make it 2-2 (61st). The 22-year-old’s first Bundesliga goal.
But Bremen didn’t let this set them back either. It was Grüll who scored the third goal for the hosts. After a remarkable pass from Jens Stage, the Austrian ran alone towards Müller and scored his second goal of the evening to make it 3-2 (79′).
In stoppage time, Heidenheim received a controversial free kick directly on the line of the penalty area. Léo Scienza circled the ball unstoppably into the Bremen net to make the final score 3-3 (90.+5).
Bremen against Augsburg, Heidenheim against St. Pauli
Bremen welcomes FC Augsburg on matchday 18 (January 19th, 3:30 p.m.). The day before, Heidenheim hosted the team from St. Pauli (3:30 p.m.).