16th matchday
Werder annoys Leipzig and defies RB with a point
Justin Njinmah (2nd from left) equalized for Bremen against Leipzig. photo
© Sina Schuldt/dpa
The series broke in the seventh game. After six wins, RB Leipzig did not win against Werder Bremen. Werder fought for a deserved draw.
After winning four competitive games in a row, the Saxons missed out on points in the Bundesliga table, at least temporarily, with second-placed FC Bayern. Lois Openda (47th) gave the guests the lead, Justin Njinmah (75th) scored the deserved equalizer. Both teams couldn’t be really happy, but neither could they be really unhappy. Werder climbed past VfL Bochum to 13th place at the start of the 16th matchday.
At first there wasn’t much to see of Bremen’s more offensive personnel selection. Leipzig, led by Emil Forsberg as captain in his last game for RB, initially determined what happened on the pitch and especially in front of the hosts’ goal. Less than 50 seconds had been played before Castello Lukeba, who had moved up, had a defensive attempt from Anthony Jung at his feet. The RB man-decker took the shot and the ball hit the post.
Minute of silence before kick-off
Take a deep breath in the stands of the Weserstadion, where it was completely quiet before the last Bundesliga kick-off this year. The Werder fans remembered the Israeli Inbar Haiman, who died in Hamas captivity after being kidnapped. Haiman was a supporter of Maccabi Haifa, and the ultras of Werder Bremen have a fan friendship with the club.
The Bremen fans were offered an initial phase against Leipzig in which coach Ole Werner’s team only managed to relieve the pressure at certain points. The cup winners from Saxony controlled the game too much. A long-range shot from Leipzig-born Leonardo Bittencourt after a good 20 minutes went past the visitors’ goal. On the other side, Michael Zetterer was able to clear a shot from Xavi Simons a little later.
RB vulnerable at the back
The fact that the Leipzig team are always vulnerable on defense despite recent good results and good performances is demonstrated not only by the last ten games up to the Bremen match, in which the team conceded at least one goal. It was also evident on the lawn of the Weser Stadium.
After a good half hour, Bremen missed several chances – the best from Felix Agu (32nd), whose attempt Lukeba cleared off the line, and Jens Stage, whose volley went over the goal (35th). It was the phase in which RB wavered, but then suddenly celebrated. A header from Yussuf Poulsen after a rebound from the post landed in the net. However, the Dane was slightly offside when Amadou Haidara shot. It remained 0-0, even at the break.
But not long after the break. After Forsberg scored and assisted one in the 3-1 win against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Saturday, the future Red Bull New York professional set up Openda’s goal with a fine pass. The Belgian, for his part, needed more than one attempt to get the ball in, even if the Bremen team seemed anything but confident in the scene – especially not Christian Groß.
Openda’s missed opportunity takes revenge
But they were willing not to continue the bad series against Leipzig after six defeats and increased the pressure again. A shot from national player Marvin Ducksch hit the crossbar (55th).
A few minutes later, Forsberg’s nine-year era finally ended when he left the pitch after a good hour. Coach Marco Rose was the first to hug the Swede on the sidelines, and the fans who had traveled with him shouted Forsberg’s name. His teammates now had to ensure that he would say goodbye with a win. A little later, Openda missed the opportunity to calm his nerves further. And that took its toll when Njinmah took measurements.