VfB Stuttgart beats Werder Bremen 1:0 as Mittelstädt's early goal ends unbeaten run

A goal inside seven minutes

Maximilian Mittelstädt put Stuttgart in front in the seventh minute. Grischa Prömel had been fed on the right and slid the ball across into the middle, where Mittelstädt struck first time into the top left corner. It was the defender's second league goal of the season. Stuttgart controlled much of the first half but, as so often this season, lacked the composure to add a second in its promising positions. Werder had little to show before the interval, and its best early effort was a long-range attempt that did not trouble the hosts.

Werder's response after the break

Bremen's only early chance came in the 12th minute, when Marco Grüll's long-range shot was held by Dennis Seimen. Niclas Füllkrug, 33 years old and with nine league goals the competition's top scorer, found Jeff Chabot a persistent opponent throughout. After the interval Werder grew more dangerous. In the 51st minute Füllkrug played Youri Regeer through, but Regeer was denied by a sharp reaction from Seimen, who rushed off his line. Stuttgart hit back in the 57th minute when Mittelstädt's shot from the edge of the box was steered onto the post by Karl Hein. Seimen then saved from Ludovit Reis in the 76th minute, and Füllkrug's header in the 85th minute went wide.

Debut, selection and the national team

Yanik Spalt, 19 years old, made his Bundesliga debut for Stuttgart after impressing in the 0:2 Champions League defeat at Galatasaray earlier in the week. Dennis Seimen returned in goal, while Ermedin Demirovic started on the bench. Before kick-off the focus was on Füllkrug, who had been nominated earlier in the week by Jürgen Klopp for the international matches against Serbia on 13 November and the Netherlands on 16 November. Werder coach Daniel Thioune spoke about his striker to Sky before the match.

Thioune said of Füllkrug:

“Mega, what he is doing right now. He is very sexy at the moment.”

Stuttgart had prepared for that threat, and Chabot kept the Werder striker largely quiet over the 90 minutes.

Table race and reactions

Stuttgart's win lifted it to eighth place, according to Spiegel Online, while Werder remains fifth. NDR puts Werder on 15 points and says the Swabians moved to within three points of them. The outlets differ on Stuttgart's streak, with N-tv describing it as a second win in a row and NDR as a third straight league win. Bayer Leverkusen play 1. FC Köln on Sunday, 8 November, and could pass Werder in the table with a victory. The match was played in frosty temperatures at the Neckarstadion, NDR reported, and Werder now has to recover from its first defeat in eight league matches.