Werder Bremen suffered a 1-0 away defeat to VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, missing an opportunity to climb the Bundesliga table. The winning goal was scored by Maximilian Mittelstädt in the seventh minute, assisted by Grischa Prömel.
How the match unfolded
Stuttgart started aggressively and were rewarded early. Mittelstädt finished a quick attack down the left flank. Werder struggled to gain a foothold and had to settle for just 43% possession for long periods. Their biggest chance came in the 51st minute when Niclas Füllkrug set up Youri Regeer, who shot wide. Goalkeeper Karl Hein kept Werder in the game with several saves against Mittelstädt (18th, 28th, 51st, 57th) and Ludovit Reis (76th). In the closing stages, Füllkrug headed just wide of the far post (85th).
The aftermath
The defeat marks Werder's second away loss in their last five matches. They remain fifth in the table with 15 points from eight games. This season, the team has scored 17 goals and conceded 14. Their recent form across the last five matches shows two wins, one draw and two losses, following a 2-0 win over 1899 Hoffenheim, but a 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund and a 3-2 loss to FSV Mainz 05, as well as a 2-2 draw with SC Paderborn 07. Top scorer Niclas Füllkrug, who was called up for the upcoming internationals before the match and has nine goals in eight appearances this season, failed to find the net. The team managed 13 shots but failed to hit the target. The defence, marshalled by captain Friedl, faced 24 shots from the hosts.
After the international break, Werder Bremen host Hamburger SV at the Weserstadion on Sunday, 22 November (17:30 local time). The Northern derby against the current eighth-placed side offers a chance to improve a home record that stands at two wins, a draw and a loss.
After the 1-0 defeat in Stuttgart, Werder captain Marco Friedl sharply criticised the first half. "We actually played scaredy-cat football," said the 28-year-old. "We hid with the ball." The team remains in fifth place with 15 points from nine games. The performance improved in the second half, but Youri Regeer's big chance was not taken.
Lothar Matthäus praised Niclas Füllkrug's role in the 0:1 loss to Stuttgart. 'If a Werder centre-forward has 70 touches in a match, you know where the game was going,' the Sky expert said. Coach Daniel Thioune explained the tactic: 'We wanted to escape the man-marking by having Füllkrug drop deep.' The team remains in fifth place with 15 points from nine games.
Niclas Füllkrug saw his first yellow card of the season in the match against Stuttgart. The Werder striker received it in the 24th minute after an arm intervention against VfB defender Jeff Chabot, as the club confirmed. Füllkrug, who has already scored nine goals this season, failed to score in the match. The team remains in fifth place with 15 points.
