SV Werder Bremen v Bayern Munich 1-3
FCB come from behind to beat ten-man Werder
An Arjen Robben strike and an own goal provoked by a relentless period of second-half pressure saw Bayern come from behind to earn a deserved victory away to spirited but error-prone Werder Bremen, who conceded a third to sub Miro Klose and lost keeper Tim Wiese to a straight red card at the end.
The 40,500 capacity crowd at the Weser stadium saw a lively and high-tempo first period, the struggling home side making the better start but Bayern easing into gear as the half wore on. However, the final pass went astray too often at both ends and the sides turned round with the score 0-0, although that all changed just two minutes after the restart when Per Mertesacker broke the deadlock for the home team.
Bayern were stung into action and Robben levelled on 65 minutes, before the champions were rewarded for a sustained onslaught with an own goal by the luckless Mertesacker 15 minutes from time. FCB were in the driving seat now and Klose added another goal four minutes from time, and the home side’s misery was completed at death with Wiese’s dismissal.
The win means Van Gaal’s men climb to third in the standings on 36 points from 20 matches, still 14 points off leaders Dortmund but only three behind Leverkusen in second. The Bavarians are on the road again in their next fixture, the Bundesliga trip to struggling Köln next Saturday.
Louis van Gaal made one change to the team which powered past Aachen in the midweek cup quarter-final, Robben replacing Hamit Altintop on the right flank. Luiz Gustavo continued at left-back, with Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Holger Badstuber at centre-half, and newly-appointed captain Philipp Lahm on the right of the back four. Danijel Pranjic and Andi Ottl anchored the midfield, with Bastian Schweinsteiger as playmaker, Thomas Müller on the left and Mario Gomez up front.
Just 40 seconds after referee Thorsten Kinhöfer whistled the match underway, the ball found its way to Clemens Fritz in the inside right position, but FCB keeper Thomas Kraft bravely smothered the chance. Bayern responded immediately, but Müller’s shot on the turn from Robben’s teasing free-kick drifted narrowly wide.
The next opening fell to the home side, Marko Marin’s corner evading a crowd of bodies in the box and catching Mikael Silvestre unawares, the former France international heading wide from six yards. Sebastian Prödl denied Robben with a well-timed tackle as FCB threatened on the break, before Ottl drew a fine fingertip save from Werder keeper Tim Wiese with a fulminating drive from 20 yards.
The pace died briefly midway through the first half, before Kraft had to look sharp to beat Prödl to a Torsten Frings free-kick, and Gomez had an optimistic shout for a penalty waved away. The best chance thus far fell to the Germany striker on the half-hour from Robben’s neat lay-off, but Wiese palmed the goal-getter’s fierce drive over the bar for a corner.
Robben’s free-kick from a promising central position smacked into the wall, before Gomez beat Wiese to a cross only for the ball to drift wide of the upright off the striker’s shoulder. Ottl smacked another long-range effort over the bar, and FCB ended the half on the attack, only for Robben to shoot straight at Wiese, and Gomez to choose the wrong option when a pass either side to Robben or Schweinsteiger might easily have brought a reward.
The second half opened with a shock for the visitors, as Mertesacker somehow threaded a shot from the left side of the box between two defenders and Kraft to open the scoring just two minutes after the restart. Bayern urgently sought to get on terms and Müller had the ball in the net on 52 minutes, only for Kinhöfer to whistle for an earlier foul by Schweinsteiger.
FCB upped the pace now, but Tymoshchuk glanced a header wide of the target, Schweinsteiger was crowded out as he shaped to shoot from eight yards, and Robben’s cut-back dribbled across the face of goal with no takers. The Dutch ace ultimately levelled on 65 minutes, beating Silvestre to Pranjic’s enticing centre as the champions unceasing pressure finally told.
Miro Klose took over from the limping Schweinsteiger for the last 20 minutes, before Robben found the crowd from a promising free-kick position. But Bayern completed the turnaround on 76 minutes, the Werder defence making a complete hash of clearing a loose ball and Gomez showing great persistence to reach the by-line a cross, the hapless Mertesacker diverting over his own line at the near post.Van Gaal now withdrew Gomez and sent on Breno to shore up the result for the last ten minutes, but the champions were never in danger of conceding in a controlled closing spell and added a third through Klose after Müller cleverly robbed last man Frings and unselfishly passed for the former Werder man to slot into the empty net four minutes from time.
The action was not over yet, as Wiese saw a straight red card for clattering dangerously into Müller outside his own box, completing a poor afternoon for the home team and a good one for the men from Munich.
Live match report for fcbayern.de by Chris Hamley
MATCH STATS
Werder Bremen - Bayern Munich 1-3 (H-T: 0-0)
Werder Bremen: Wiese - Pasanen, Prödl, Mertesacker, Silvestre - Fritz (Wagner 80), Frings, Hunt (Mielitz 90), Bargfrede - Marin (Trinks 67), Pizarro
Bayern Munich: Kraft - Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Badstuber, Luiz Gustavo - Ottl, Pranjic - Robben, Schweinsteiger (Klose 69), Müller - Gomez (Breno 81)
Substitutes: Butt, Van Buyten, Altintop
Referee: Thorsten Kinhöfer (Herne)
Spectators: 40,500 (capacity)
Goals: 1-0 Mertesacker (47), 1-1 Robben (65), 1-2 Mertesacker (76, og), 1-3 Klose (86)
Yellow Cards: Pizarro, Prödl / Schweinsteiger, Robben
Red Cards: Wiese (89), serious foul play
Credit: FC Bayern Munich (www.fcbayern.t-com.de)
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