Peter Bosz made three changes to the team that faced Hannover last weekend: Mitchell Weiser, Kai Havertz (on the bench) and Tin Jedvaj (muscle problem) made way for the captain Lars Bender, Wendell and Karim Bellarabi. Sven Bender was also on the subs bench. Werder Bremen travelled to Leverkusen on the back of eight games without defeat. Bremen were also the only team in the Bundesliga to have scored at least one goal in every game this season.
Bremen had the first shot on goal through Johannes Eggestein with an effort from the edge of the penalty area on the left - Lukas Hradecky dived to make the save (4'). Bayer 04 tried to play their passing game but were initially unable to create any clear-cut chances. Werder defended well – and then took lead in a quick counter-attack with Max Kruse finding the back of the net. His left-foot shot flew into the bottom right corner leaving Hradecky stranded as Bremen made it 1-0 (13').
The Werkself looked for gaps in a cleverly organised Bremen team. Julian Baumgartlinger headed high over the bar from a Bailey cross three minutes later. Bayer 04 found it difficult to make headway and create clear chances. Again and again, Bremen were able to cut off the Werkself runs and intercept passes. On the half-hour mark, the Werkself upped the pressure and created their best chances at that point: First, Marco Friedl deflected a Bailey shot away for a corner (34') and then Kevin Volland, making his 100th appearance for Bayer 04 , headed just wide of the left upright from a fine cross by Karim Bellarabi (36'). That could have been the equaliser.
Just one minute after that great chance for the Werkself, Bremen demonstrated their clinical efficiency in another counter-attack: A move involving Eggestein and Kruse ended with a pass to the unmarked Rashica who put his shot past Hradecky to double the lead for Werder (37'). It was the first time this season Bayer 04 have been two goals down at home.
Peter Bosz reacted at half-time by bringing on Kai Havertz and Paulinho in place of Charles Aránguiz and Karim Bellarabi. Bailey moved to the right flank, Paulinho played on the left. And the Werkself upped the pressure on Bremen as they looked to get back into the game. The Black and Red fans celebrated for the first time on 55 minutes when Havertz turned the ball into the net from close range. Referee Deniz Aytekin ruled the goal out after the ball bounced off Havertz' hand before he shot. The hosts continued to press hard for a goal to get back into the game.
The Werkself were lucky that a free kick from Nuri Sahin only hit the bar and Kruse was unable to convert the rebound (59'). Julian Brandt played the ball too far in front of himself in the box and Friedl was able to turn the ball away for a corner (60'). The skipper Lars Bender had a shot from the edge of the Bremen box but Jiri Pavlenka pulled off a great save (64'). Julian Baumgartlinger was unable to connect properly in a melee from a Bailey cross (66'). Bayer 04 tried everything, upped the tempo of their game as they again and again pressed forward. Bailey hit a free kick from a central position over the bar (72'). The Jamaican was more accurate three minutes as he curled his free kick in top left corner of the net from 20 yards out (74'). A wonder strike!
The goal making the score 2-1 was a signal for a frenetic end to the game with Werder hardly able to get out of their own half. The visitors were struggling, Bayer 04 came very close to levelling the scores. Brandt broke down the left flank, Bailey and Volland missed out but Lars Bender connected with his shot flying over the bar (77'). The Werkself were applying real pressure - Bailey had the next great chance but the Jamaican smashed the ball just wide of the target after being set up by Brandt and Mitchell Weiser (86'). Bremen were now playing five at the back. In added time, Volland put a header from a tight angle just wide (90+1'). The Werkself threw caution to the wind - and suffered again as Kruse rounded off another Bremen counter-attack to make it 3-1 (90+4').
"We lost the game in the first half, no doubt about it. Bremen were more aggressive, we weren't at the races, weren't compact, were unable to defend properly and we didn't get going up front," said Kevin Volland after the game. "We responded in the second half, upped the pressure and even had chances to level at 2-2. But we didn't deserve to win the game today with our performance in the first half." Lars Bender said: "If you want to move up the table then you have to play for 90 minutes like we did in the second half. But if you go 2-0 down then it's obviously difficult against a team like Werder."
After next week's international break, Bayer 04 return to league action on Friday 29 March. The Bosz team are away to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The match at the PreZero Arena kicks off at 20.30 CET.
Match stats:
Bayer 04: Hradecky – L. Bender (Weiser 84'), Tah, Dragovic, Wendell – Aránguiz (Havertz 46'), Baumgartlinger, Brandt – Bellarabi (Paulinho 46'), Volland, Bailey
Werder Bremen: Pavlenka - Gebre Selassie, Friedl, Moisander, Augustinsson - Sahin - M. Eggestein, Klaassen (Langkamp 84') - J. Eggestein (Bartels 76'), Kruse - Rashica (Harnik 65')
Goals: 0-1 Kruse (13'), 0-2 Rashica (37'), 1-2 Bailey (75'), 1-3 Kruse (90+4')
Referee: Deniz Aytekin (Oberasbach)
Booked: L. Bender, Dragovic, Wendell (fifth yellow card) - Sahin, Pavlenka
Attendance: 30,210 (sell-out)
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