Line-up and formation: For the first competitive fixture of 2024 and the last of the first round of matches, Ole Werner opted to stick with a very similar line-up to that of the draw against RB Leipzig before the winter break. Niklas Stark took the place of Christian Groß in the starting XI, and despite the uncertainty surrounding his involvement against VfL Bochum in the days leading up to the clash, Nicolai Rapp was named as a substitute.
Werder’s starting XI: Zetterer – Jung, Stark, Stage, Ducksch, Weiser, Bittencourt, Njinmah, Borré, Agu, Friedl.
Bench: Pavlenka, Deman, Kownacki, Lynen, Schmid, Rapp, Woltemade, Groß, Sato.
An intense first half with few big chances
First-half highlights:
3rd minute: Ducksch fires a free kick into Bochum’s box after a foul on Leo Bittencourt. The hosts defend his ball in well though, and it doesn’t result in a clear-cut chance.
8th minute: Njinmah and Osterhage challenge for the ball in the box, with the Bremen player claiming that it hit the Bochum midfielder’s hand. There is a VAR review, but eventually Stieler waves play on.
11th minute: Ducksch is played through on the right-hand side and pulls the ball back into the middle around the penalty spot. Rafael Borré is lurking dangerous in the middle, but Erhan Masovic is alert to the danger and clears the ball away.
23rd minute: The Green-Whites turn over possession. Losilla then drives in and takes Borré off his feet with a poor tackle. Referee Stieler is quickly into action to prevent the ensuing scuffle.
29th minute: Njinmah lets fly from the edge of the area, but his effort is blocked. The hosts then try to break on the counter, but Stark is well positioned and sniffs out the danger.
34th minute: The first big chance of the game sees Zetti come to Werder’s rescue. The ball reaches Matús Bero in the Green-Whites’ box. The attacker himself seems slightly surprised by this and fires straight at Zetterer from point-blank range, who makes a top save to deny the attacker with his body.
40th minute: Jung plays a great ball out to Agu on the right-wing, who delivers the ball into Njinmah, but his shot is blocked again.
45th minute +3: The hosts break forward once more, looking to make an impact just before the half-time whistle. The ball rebounds to Kevin Stöger, who shoots with his left foot from the edge of the box, but he puts his effort wide of the left-hand post.
Stark saves the day in extra time
Second-half highlights:
54th minute: Although Bochum get off to a strong start, Werder are also applying pressure. Ducksch dashes down the right-hand side and finds Njinmah in the middle, but Riemann comes out the box to clear it before it can reach SVW’s youngster.
57th minute: Njinmah is brought down in the box, and the referee turns to VAR for guidance. However, no penalty is awarded, as Werder’s number 17 is offside.
64th minute: The hosts open the scoring. Bochum win possession from a failed Green-White build-up, and Patrick Osterhage is able to pull the trigger from distance. The ball curls right into the top corner, leaving Zetterer with no chance.
76th minute: SVW win it back in the middle and are able to counter. Ducksch plays in Bittencourt, but he’s dispossessed by Erhan Masovic. Werder’s number 7 is able to jump on the rebound, but his effort is pushed over the bar by Riemann.
83rd minute: Bochum advance down the right, and are able to deliver it to Förster in the middle. Luckily for Werder, captain Friedl gets a strong block in, but the deflection loops high in the air and sinks back down dangerously close to the goal. Thankfully, Zetterer is alert and tips it over the bar for a corner.
90th minute +3: SVW get their equaliser in the dying minutes! Niklas Stark lets fly from distance, and the ball soars towards the goal and goes in off the crossbar thanks to Osterhage’s deflection.
90th minute +8: Full time!
Summary: After an intense first half, but one with almost no clear-cut chances, the game really opened up after the half-time break. It was a difficult game, with lots of breaks in play and yellow cards disrupting the flow. Patrick Osterhage’s opener for the hosts looked as though it would be the winning goal for the hosts until just before the final whistle. However, SVW continued to pile on the pressure, and, in additional time, Niklas Stark fired home from the edge of the box to give Werder a deserved share of the spoils.
An intense first half with few big chances
First-half highlights:
3rd minute: Ducksch fires a free kick into Bochum’s box after a foul on Leo Bittencourt. The hosts defend his ball in well though, and it doesn’t result in a clear-cut chance.
8th minute: Njinmah and Osterhage challenge for the ball in the box, with the Bremen player claiming that it hit the Bochum midfielder’s hand. There is a VAR review, but eventually Stieler waves play on.
11th minute: Ducksch is played through on the right-hand side and pulls the ball back into the middle around the penalty spot. Rafael Borré is lurking dangerous in the middle, but Erhan Masovic is alert to the danger and clears the ball away.
23rd minute: The Green-Whites turn over possession. Losilla then drives in and takes Borré off his feet with a poor tackle. Referee Stieler is quickly into action to prevent the ensuing scuffle.
29th minute: Njinmah lets fly from the edge of the area, but his effort is blocked. The hosts then try to break on the counter, but Stark is well positioned and sniffs out the danger.
34th minute: The first big chance of the game sees Zetti come to Werder’s rescue. The ball reaches Matús Bero in the Green-Whites’ box. The attacker himself seems slightly surprised by this and fires straight at Zetterer from point-blank range, who makes a top save to deny the attacker with his body.
40th minute: Jung plays a great ball out to Agu on the right-wing, who delivers the ball into Njinmah, but his shot is blocked again.
45th minute +3: The hosts break forward once more, looking to make an impact just before the half-time whistle. The ball rebounds to Kevin Stöger, who shoots with his left foot from the edge of the box, but he puts his effort wide of the left-hand post.