Werder beat SV Drochtersen/Assel 2-1

Squad news: Ole Werner gave lots of younger players the chance to prove themselves in the first friendly match. Several players from the U23s were in the squad.

Starting eleven: Zetterer – Kohler, Veljkovic, Friedl – Opitz, Stage, Buchanan – Schmidt, Winkelmann – Njinmah, Ducksch

The XI for the second half: Dos Santos– Rapp, Stark, Ihendu – Brandt, Groß, Jung – Mbom, Woltemade – Burke, Kownacki

High energy despite the heat

Milos Veljkovic, Friedl and Kohler made up the back-line in the first half (Photo: W.DE).

Highlights from the first half:

6th minute: Werder make the first move after a nice pass from Stage to Njinmah, but goalkeeper Siefkes is out in time and claims the ball

10th minute: Von der Reith takes a free-kick from just outside the penalty area, but goalkeeper Michael Zetterer is positioned correctly and able to parry the ball with his fists. A dangerous follow-up shot is also saved by the Werder goalkeeper.

13th minute: A deflected pass from Niklas Schmidt ends up with Njinmah, who takes the ball quickly and shoots on the turn. Siefkes shows quick reflexes and saves the ball for a corner.

17th minute: Drochtersen push forward through Göttel to the goalline, but Hamid just misses from a central position.

24th minute: Here in the stadium the sun is beating down and it is around 33 degrees. Nevertheless, both teams are running hard. A short drinks break gives the players a chance to cool down.

33rd minute: D/A take the lead. A cross comes in and Göttel can nod the ball in the net at the back post, giving Michael Zetterer no chance.

36th minute: After a cross, Leon Opitz has a chance to shoot around 10 yards from goal. He is closed down by two defenders, however, and hits the ball over the goal.

40th minute: Niklas Schmidt shoots from 20 yards out with his right foot, but his shot doesn’t cause any danger. Goalkeeper Siefkes comfortably catches the ball in the middle of the net.

Eleven changes at half time

Provider Woltemade and goal scorer Burke celebrated the winner together (Photo: W.DE).

Highlights from the second half:

46th minute: Ole Werner changes the team from goalkeeper to striker for the second half

48th minute: It doesn’t take long for the new team to get going. New signing Dawid Kownacki scores after Oliver Burke failed to beat the goalkeeper to make it 1-1.

58th minute: Manuel Mbom, who was also in the second half team, has a shot from long distance, which just misses the goal.

71st minute: Referee Felix Bickel also allows the players a drinks break in the second half due to the high temperature.

74th minute: Oliver Burke suddenly finds himself through on goal after an excellent pass from Kownacki, and is one-on-one with Siefkes. Unfortunately, his shot goes over the bar and the score remains 1-1.

79th minute: SV Werder Bremen take the lead! After Burke faltered moments before, he now makes no mistake. Nick Woltemade wins the ball in D/A’s half and picks up the pace. He passes the ball to Oliver Burke at the right moment, who coolly finished into the far corner.

84th minute: Nick Woltemade wins the ball in the penalty area and has to deal with a number of defenders trying to tackle him, and his resulting shot is held by goalkeeper Siefkes.

Summary: Drochtersen/Assel played well, especially in the first half, and you could see that the team was well drilled. Werder were a bit uncertain at the beginning, but in the second half they were solid and can new go into the next friendlies with a first win. The next game will take place on Sunday 16th July at 15:00 CEST against VfB Oldenburg in Weserstede.