It took less than 60 seconds for the first goal of the second half of the season to be scored in Bremen. In a wild match, Eintracht Frankfurt conceded three goals again—but still managed to secure a point.
Even the debut goal by winter signing Jovan Milosevic couldn’t end SV Werder Bremen’s crisis in the Bundesliga. The situation at Eintracht Frankfurt hasn’t improved either following the 3-3 (1-1) draw to kick off the second half of the season. Serbian Milosevic scored 16 minutes after coming on as a substitute to make it 3-2 against the Champions League participants from Hesse. But Frankfurt’s Ansgar Knauff dashed Bremen’s hopes of a first win in six games in stoppage time.
The hosts held their ground even after falling behind twice, with goals from Arnaud Kalimuendo after 50 seconds and Nnamdi Collins (56′). Justin Njinmah (29′) and Jens Stage (78′) had each equalized for the hosts—and looked like the winners after Milosevic’s goal.
The draw in front of 41,800 spectators does not help Bremen in their relegation battle nor Frankfurt in their fight for a European spot. The defensively vulnerable Hessians once again conceded three goals.
Werder with the same lineup, Frankfurt with a system change
Werder coach Horst Steffen stuck with the starting lineup that took the field on Tuesday in the 0-3 loss to Borussia Dortmund. His counterpart, Dino Toppmöller, however, was forced to make changes compared to the 2-3 loss at VfB Stuttgart.
Due to an injury to winter signing and striker prospect Younes Ebnoutalib, he switched his system from 4-4-2 to 3-4-2-1 and brought in four new players.
Frankfurt’s lightning-fast goal shocks Werder
Toppmöller’s forced change seemed to pay off quickly: The ball was in the Bremen net after just 50 seconds. Kalimuendo—Frankfurt’s second winter signing for the attack—beat Bremen defender Amos Pieper and, after a pass from Nathaniel Brown, lifted the ball over Werder goalkeeper Mio Backhaus into the net.
The hosts took some time to recover from the early shock. For a long time, there was too little happening up front. Frankfurt focused on stabilizing their recently shaky defense and dropped deep. That approach worked at first.
Werder’s Njinmah nearly unstoppable
Only the speedy Njinmah kept slipping past them. While the Werder striker narrowly missed the target in the 20th minute following a counterattack, he did better nine minutes later after a superb pass from Yukinari Sugawara, ending Bremen’s three-game scoring drought.
This marked the start of Werder’s strongest period of pressure. The visitors barely ventured out of their own half, and Bremen increasingly controlled the game. But chances were few and far between.
Werder doesn’t let itself be rattled
Werder continued to press after the break and at times put together some impressive combinations. Bremen were in control. That made the visitors’ renewed lead all the more surprising—thanks in part to a defensive lapse by Werder. Collins (56′) capitalized on a mistake in the hosts’ build-up play and turned the game on its head.
This time, Werder remained unfazed and continued to push forward. Once again, it was Njinmah (68′) who squandered the best chance, narrowly missing the target while unmarked.
Bremen didn’t give up and earned a deserved equalizer through Stage (78′). Just two minutes later, Stuttgart loanee Milosevic made a fitting debut with a goal in his first home game for Werder. Knauff ultimately spoiled Bremen’s brief celebration.