Werder Bremen vs Borussia Dortmund preview: Not too much to play for on the final day

Werder Bremen vs Borussia Dortmund preview: Not too much to play for on the final day Werder Bremen It may have taken much longer than they would have wanted, but Werder Bremen finally officially secured safety last week. They weren’t the ones who deserve credit for it, though. Bremen had been beaten once again, this time falling to Hoffenheim on the road.

Things could not have started worse. In only the 2nd minute of the contest, fullback Yukinari Sugawara flew into a challenge and wiped out an opposing player. VAR stepped in to have the referee take a look, and replays clearly showed Sugawara planting his cleats onto the leg of the opponent.

While it wasn’t dirty or evil, it was reckless, and he was deservedly sent off. Hoffenheim took control of proceedings, opening the scoring midway through the half following a quick-corner that set up Bazoumana Touré. Despite all this, Werder didn’t play too badly.

They even managed to carve out a few opportunities for themselves, and more clinical decision-making in the final third would have seen them get at least one back. That’s not what happened, however, and they ultimately lost 1-0. That meant they had to turn their eyes elsewhere.