Wiese's finest hour is perfect timing for Bremen
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Article summary
Tim Wiese spoke of "the greatest day of my career" after saving three spot-kicks against Hamburger SV to earn Werder Bremen a place in the German Cup final and the psychological edge ahead of their UEFA Cup tie.
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Goalkeeper Tim Wiese spoke of "the greatest day of my career" after saving three penalties against Hamburger SV last night to send Werder Bremen through to the German Cup final and strike an early psychological blow ahead of the teams' reunion in the UEFA Cup semi-finals.
Iconic image
It provided one of the iconic images of the German season so far as Wiese, having already kept out spot-kicks from Jerome Boateng and Ivica Olić, denied Marcell Jansen to secure a 3-1 success on penalties before sprinting the length of the Arena Hamburg turf to celebrate with the travelling Bremen support. "We played fantastically and deserve to be in the final," said the 27-year-old. "Now we want to win the final against Bayer 04 Leverkusen [in Berlin on 30 May] and claim the trophy."
Midfield problem
Bremen took the lead through defender Per Mertesacker in the eleventh minute before Ivica Olić equalised midway through the second half for the hosts, who were reduced to ten men following David Jarolím's dismissal for a foul on Mesut Özil on 90 minutes. "The fact that we had a man sent off was obviously a problem for us and a great disadvantage," said HSV coach Martin Jol. "Werder had the upper hand in midfield and that was our problem. We didn't have enough options going forward and are naturally very disappointed to have lost."
Late drama
Jol's side could have wrapped up the tie seconds before the end of extra time, Jonathan Pitroipa charging clear on the counterattack only to be foiled by the outstanding Wiese. Three of Pitroipa's tem-mates experienced a similar feeling in a shoot-out in which only Joris Mathijsen kept his nerve for Hamburg, while Claudio Pizarro, Özil and Torsten Frings all found the net for Werder. "In cup matches we always have a clear aim," said visiting coach Thomas Schaaf. "The team really puts in their best performance in these matches." Schaaf will hope for more Hanseatic derby glory when the rivals renew ties on 30 April and 7 May, with a place in the UEFA Cup final in Istanbul the reward for the winners.
