Werder Bremen maintained their unbeaten home record under coach Florian Kohfeldt thanks to a tight win against Wolfsburg on Friday night.

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Werder Bremen 2-0 Wolfsburg

Goals: 1-0 Klaassen (35’), 2-0 J. Eggestein (86’)

Celebrating his 36th birthday, Kohfeldt opted to start with striker Claudio Pizarro on the bench just days after he himself turned 40. However, it was the visitors who started much the stronger and hit the post early on when Jerome Roussillon’s cross deflected off a couple of players inside the box. Moments later Werder arrived at the party when Yuya Osako had a header at the far post well saved by Belgium international goalkeeper Koen Casteels. The game ebbed and flowed from there until summer signing Davy Klaassen smashed home his second goal of the season after Robin Knoche had failed to deal with Theodor Gebre Selassie’s ball into the Wolfsburg box.

Again it was the Wolves who came out hunting for goals at the start of the second half. Maximilian Arnold warmed goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka’s gloves early in the piece and USA centre-back John Brooks headed over from a tight angle after a free-kick. After a period of calm, substitute Daniel Ginczek curled one over from range and Josip Brekalo forced Pavlenka into a diving save low to his left, but Wolfsburg couldn’t find a way through the Werder defence. Pizarro did come on late for his 451st Bundesliga appearance but it was another substitute, 20-year-old Johannes Eggestein, who ran onto the 40-year-old’s flick for his first Bundesliga goal and move Bremen, at least temporarily, above champions Bayern Munich into second place.

Match stats

Pizarro became just the fourth outfield player to feature in the Bundesliga at the age of 40, following Klaus Fichtel, Manni Burgsmüller and Mirko Votava.Die Grün-Weißen are undefeated in 16 home games under coach Florian Kohfeldt – a club record for a coach at the start of his tenure.Johannes Eggestein scored his maiden Bundesliga goal on his 11th appearance. His bother Maximilian needed 18 games for his first.Werder kept their first competitive clean sheet of the season.Bremen have won five and drawn one of their last 16 matches against Wolfsburg.The Wolves have failed to win any of their last seven games on a Friday (D3, L4).

Line-ups

Bremen: Pavlenka – Gebre Selassie, Langkamp, Moisander, Augustinsson – M. Eggestein, Bargfrede, Klaassen (Möhwald 89’) – Osako (J. Eggestein 83’), Kainz (Pizarro 75’), Kruse (c)

Unused subs: Plogmann, Rashica, Sahin, Friedl

Absentees: Zetterer (wrist), Kauper (knee), Johannsson (foot), Kapino (thigh), Bartels (achilles), Veljkovic (suspended), Harnik (muscle problems)

Coach: Florian Kohfeldt

Wolfsburg: Casteels (c) – William, Knoche, Brooks, Roussillon – Malli (Ginczek 59’), Tisserrand (Rexhbecaj 85’), Arnold – Steffen (Blaszczykowski 78’), Weghorst, Brekalo

Unused subs: Pervan, Verhaegh, Gerhardt, Uduokhai

Absentees: Guilavogui (knee), Azzaoui (knee), Klaus (groin)

Coach: Bruno Labbadia

Watch: Kohfeldt on "special" Pizarro!

As it happened

Click here for the Bremen-Wolfsburg match centre!