Özil and Bremen rise to Inter occasion
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Article summary
Midfielder Mesut Özil said playing against FC Internazionale Milano had been "a big motivation" for Werder Bremen after he set up both goals in a 2-1 win which secured the German side a UEFA Cup Round of 32 place.
Article top media content
Article body
Werder Bremen midfielder Mesut Özil was delighted with the overall team display in the 2-1 win against FC Internazionale Milano but played down his role in the win.
Important role
The Matchday 6 meeting with Inter against was extremely important for Bremen with a UEFA Cup place riding on the outcome. The German Under-21 international played an important part in the home team's success as he was asked to cover for the suspended Diego in central midfield, a role he excelled in by playing a major part in both of Bremen's goals. However, despite setting up Claudio Pizarro's 63rd-minute opener and Markus Rosenberg's late clincher, Özil played down his role. "It was extremely important for us to play well as a team and we did exactly that," he said. "I played my part but overall it was an excellent display by every player on the pitch."
UEFA Cup joy
Bremen will be delighted with the 20-year-old's contribution, especially as it helped the home side secure a place in the UEFA Cup, a competition the midfielder is now looking forward to playing in. He told uefa.com: "At the start of the season we had obviously set our sights on making it to the knockout stage of the Champions League. However, that was not to be. Luckily we managed to beat Inter here today and secure a place in the UEFA Cup. I am looking forward to playing in the competition and we now want to go as far as we can in that."
'Great side'
Asked how Bremen had managed to beat Inter despite failing to secure three points in either of the home games against Panathinaikos FC and Anorthosis Famagusta FC, Özil had a simple explanation: "Inter are a great side and it is a big motivation to play against them." Now he hopes that his team will be able to take some confidence from the win into upcoming league games. "Hopefully we can continue where we left off here in the Bundesliga and turn our season around," he said. With Bremen tenth in Germany they have still got a lot of work to do to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League but if Özil can maintain the form he showed against Inter, they have every chance.