“Every player is ready”

The attacker quickly showed that he is a force to be reckoned with in the Bundesliga: Just six minutes after his introduction, he assisted Leonardo Bittencourt for Werder’s third, then made it 4-0 himself just a minute later, bagging his first ever Bundesliga goal.  

Yesterday’s debutants would then receive deserved praise from their teammates and coach. First-half casualty Ducksch was especially pleased: “The lads who came on helped us win the game. It shows how we’re developing as a team, that everyone knows what they’re doing and that everyone is important to the team. You could more than clearly see that on the pitch.” Niklas Stark was also complimentary, first of the team performance and then of the young attackers who came on to make the difference: “Nick did well when he came on and held up the play well. He fought until the end and gave it his all. Justin is a really useful player on the counterattack, which is of course great to have,” commented the defender.  

Werder’s head coach was quick to mention Woltemade’s ability to read the game and his overall development, before adding that Njinmah contributed well to the win with his pace and his strength in one-on-one situations. “Nick and Justin are both really promising talents who showed how they can help us in the Bundesliga,” summarised Werner, who didn’t forget to highlight Kownacki’s contribution. “He was clever, he covered a lot of ground and was a physical presence up there. He did his job and put in a great performance.” Werder’s summer signing also couldn’t hide his excitement after making his first competitive start for SVW. “It was the first time I’d been named in the starting XI. We’ve got a good team, and every player is ready. I ran a lot today and got stuck into lots of challenges. Sometimes you just have to leave it all out on the pitch.”