Bremen cemented second place with their third straight victory. In the end the Green-Whites needed a bit of good fortune to win at Hansa.
A narrow 2-1 win in Rostock kept Werder on course for a place in next season’s Champions League.
The guests suffered their fourth defeat in five matches and a further setback in the relegation battle.
Werder struggled to create openings in the first half. Torsten Frings (18) and Naldo (20) tested Hansa keeper Stefan Wächter from distance, as did Petri Pasanen (38).
Stunning opener
The hosts had even less to offer in attack, and it came as no real surprise that the opening goal came out of the blue.
Frings found the top corner with a stunning strike from 30 metres three minutes before the hour mark - his first goal of the season.
Tragic hero Wächter
But Hansa hit back when substitute Sebastian Hähnge was at the end of a neat combination to level the match 15 minutes from time.
Again Frings was the difference, winning a penalty seven minutes later. Wächter parried Naldo’s spot-kick, but Ivan Klasnic followed up to score the winner.
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