It was one-way traffic in Bremen, but Werder’s 1-0 victory over Glasgow Rangers was not enough to ward off their elimination from the UEFA Cup.
Despite dominating play from start to finish, Bremen fell short of the target set by Rangers in winning the first leg 2-0 last week. For the Glasgow side, a quarter-final berth was ample consolation for their first defeat in 20 games.
McGregor on form
Bremen playmaker Diego scored the only goal of the game in the 58th minute, taking out two opponents before rifling home a low shot from the edge of the box. The goal was Bremen’s 150th in all European competitions, but that total should have been higher by the end of the contest.
Time and again, the Hanseatics’ forward surges were foiled by the visitors’ well-organised defence, behind which keeper Allan McGregor put in an immaculate display, including half a dozen noteworthy saves.
No way through
Up front, Walter Smith’s troops were pretty much posted missing, Nacho Novo squandering their only chance of note on the half-hour mark. The game was 49 minutes old before the Scottish Premier League leaders got their first corner. For all their endeavour and excellent approach work, however, Bremen lacked the necessary bite in the final third of the pitch - a similar story to the first leg at Ibrox.
The 66th-minute introduction of Boubacar Sanogo for Hugo Almeida almost paid off three minutes from the end, but the striker’s shot was reflexively pushed onto the bar by McGregor. And that was that for Bremen.
Match statistics
Bremen: Wiese - Owomoyela (78. Harnik), Mertesacker, Naldo, Boenisch - Jensen - Borowski, Hunt - Diego - Rosenberg, Almeida (66. Sanogo)
Rangers: McGregor - Broadfoot, Weir, Cuellar, Papac - Dailly, Hemdani - Davis, Ferguson, Adam (57. Whittaker) - Novo (78. McCulloch)
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)
Goal: 1-0 Diego (58.)
Attendance: 33,660
Bookings: Adam (Rangers)
Wiese fit again, Almeida misses training
Six goals in Karlsruhe
Subs secure victory