Starting XI debut for Chiarodia
Borussia Mönchengladbach can no longer win in the Bundesliga and, despite their superiority, only separated by 2: 2 (0: 0) from Werder Bremen. Marvin Ducksch (65th minute/89th) saved the Hanseatic League from another away bankruptcy on Friday evening in the no-man’s-land duel on the Lower Rhine, where Werder last won twelve and a half years ago.
Coach Ole Werner’s team was able to thank not only Ducksch’s double but also substitute keeper Michael Zetterer, who brilliantly replaced the sick Jiri Pavlenka in his Bundesliga starting XI debut. Bremen’s best was powerless only for the twelfth goal of the season by Marcus Thuram (48th), who, however, missed a few other top-class players, and against Florian Neuhaus (73rd). Due to the draw, both table neighbors remain head to head in the middle of the table with 31 points.
Of course, this is much more disappointing for Borussia, who dominated the entire game, than it was for the promoted team. Thuram alone could have been the match winner, but failed early on due to the strong Zetterer (22nd) and shortly before the break due to his own snootiness. Instead of consistently shooting the ball free in front of Zetterer on goal, the Frenchman, who was free in the summer, tried a maddeningly casual action from the air with his heel and failed miserably.
The 54,042 spectators in the sold-out Borussia Park saw an intense game between the two table neighbors right from the start. As expected, Borussia played the game and didn’t seem as sluggish as last time. The guest defense, which had to be reorganized with two starting eleven debutants, came under pressure a few times in the first half. In addition to Zetterer, Werder coach Ole Werner also helped 17-year-old Fabio Chiarodia to make his Bundesliga debut in the back three. According to data service Opta, the native of Oldenburg even became Werder’s youngest starting XI player in the Bundesliga.
The teenager started nervously at first and made the first big chance of the game possible through a mistake by Gladbach captain Lars Stindl (8th), but then improved. The guests waited a long time and confused Borussia with their many position and formation changes. Only towards the end of the first half did the promoted team, who had lost five of their last six away games, become bolder.
After the change, there was hardly anything to be seen from Werder apart from the goal after an uncertain action by Borussia keeper Jonas Omlin. The Swiss was back in the Gladbach goal for the first time since the 4-0 loss at Mainz 05 three weeks ago. But later, with Ducksch’s second goal, Omlin had to reach behind him again.
Fabio #Chiarodia At 17 years and 285 days, he is the youngest player ever to start for Werder in the Bundesliga.
With that he releases Nick #Woltemade away. #Werder | #BMGSVW pic.twitter.com/Vsf4tH4C1O
— SV Werder Bremen (@werderbremen) March 17, 2023
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