Julian Brandt winner helps Borussia Dortmund see off Werder Bremen challenge
By Tushar Bahl
Julian Brandt scored the winning goal in the second-half as Borussia Dortmund continued their winning run at the expense of Werder Bremen.
Borussia Dortmund once again managed to get the job done in the Bundesliga as they claimed a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen courtesy of Julian Brandt’s second-half strike. The Black and Yellows thoroughly dominated the game and deserved the three points despite being wasteful in front of goal.
It wasn’t the prettiest of performances and there was the usual post-international break sluggishness in Borussia Dortmund’s play. But they showed once again that they are capable of getting the job done without being at their best.
Edin Terzic decided to stick with Emre Can in the heart of midfield, with Marius Wolf also keeping his place in the starting XI ahead of Ramy Bensebaini. Niclas Füllkrug spearheaded the BVB attack, with Donyell Malen, Marco Reus and Julian Brandt partnering him.
The first-half was certainly a cagey one, although Borussia Dortmund dominated proceedings and should have taken the lead in the 33rd minute when Reus fired just wide from close range.
Felix Nmecha then made a darting run into the box and found Malen, who failed to make the most of an excellent opportunity. The Dutchman then forced a strong save from the Bremen goalkeeper late in the first-half.
Werder Bremen had a couple of dangerous openings on the counter-attack thanks to their high pressing, but didn’t really cause any major problems to the BVB defence.
Buoyed by the Yellow Wall, Borussia Dortmund managed to step up a gear after the break. And while Werder Bremen did keep them at bay for a bit, Julian Brandt finally broke the deadlock in the 67th minute. The playmaker marked his 300th Bundesliga appearance by dinking the ball past the Bremen goalkeeper after being expertly picked out by Emre Can.
Felix Nmecha then had a couple of chances to double Borussia Dortmund’s lead, but failed to find the target. Sebastien Haller, Gio Reyna and Donyell Malen also spurned good opportunities in the second-half.
Bremen did not have much in terms of chances, although Justin Njinmah did force a save from Gregor Kobel.
Next. Borussia Dortmund player ratings from 1-0 win over Werder Bremen. dark
In the end, though, the gulf in quality was telling as Borussia Dortmund managed to take their winning run in the Bundesliga to five matches. The win will serve as a big momentum boost for BVB ahead of their must-win away game against Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.