Berlin
Borussia Dortmund secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen in the eighth round of the Bundesliga on Friday, with Julian Brandt scoring the sole goal of the match. Dortmund took control on their home turf but had to wait until the half-hour mark to create the first clear-cut opportunity after Marco Reus missed the target from a tight angle. The hosts continued to apply pressure, and Donyell Malen unleashed an effort that was saved by Bremen’s goalkeeper, Michael Zetterer, seven minutes later. Malen had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock just before the break, but Zetterer made a crucial diving save. The Dutchman remained a constant threat and came close with another dangerous shot in the 53rd minute. Dortmund’s persistence paid off in the 67th minute when Emre Can’s through ball found Julian Brandt, who kept his composure inside the box and chipped the ball over the onrushing Zetterer for the decisive goal. Werder Bremen had their chances to equalize, with Justin Njinmah unable to beat Dortmund’s goalkeeper Gregor Kobel from a promising position in the 82nd minute. On the other end, Felix Nmecha missed the target from close range in the closing stages. With this victory, Borussia Dortmund provisionally climbed to the top of the Bundesliga standings, while Werder Bremen remains in 14th place. Bremen coach Ole Werner commented, We put in a good performance. It’s frustrating when you don’t reward yourself. We defended very well for over 90 minutes. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t secure at least one point here. Dortmund coach Edin Terzic stated, A well-deserved victory for us. We missed opportunities to increase our lead. It took us seven attempts before we scored. The second half was good, but we squandered too many chances. Nevertheless, it’s still a deserved and crucial win. On Saturday, Bayer Leverkusen will travel to Wolfsburg, while Mainz will host defending champions Bayern Munich.
