Werder outclassed Paderborn - SCP almost certainly relegated

That was probably finally for Paderborn: Even if the relegation after the defeat against Bremen has not yet been calculated, the East Westphalia can plan for the coming season in the 2nd Bundesliga. Bremen is very strong in the clear victory.

Paderborn (dpa) - Werder Bremen won the relegation battle duel at SC Paderborn with an impressive appearance, impressively nurtured the hope of relegation and brought East Westphalia close to second-rate.

The team of trainer Florian Kohfeldt defeated the table deservedly 5: 1 (3: 0). The Bremen team did not finally seal the direct relegation of the SCP yet, but with eight points behind the relegation rank and three games remaining, the Paderborn chances of remaining in the top class are only theoretical.

The situation is different at Werder: the Bremen team moved up to 16th place with Fortuna Düsseldorf and are now just one goal behind the Rhinelanders. The very strong Davy Klaassen (20th minute / 39th), Yuya Osako (34th), Maximilian Eggestein (59th) and Niclas Füllkrug (90th + 2) scored the goals for the North Germans on Saturday. Abdelhamid Sabiri scored for the SCP (66th).

The game not only promised relegation battle, the 22 players on the field filled this label with life right at the start. A heated game developed from the start, but the Bremen team got clear advantages early on.

Cheered on by the enthusiastic substitutes and coaches in the otherwise empty grandstand, to which the not yet fit veteran Claudio Pizarro joined, the guests built up pressure and had the huge chance to take the lead in the 19th minute. Paderborn's Jamilu Collins had taken the ball in the penalty area with his arm, but the recovered Milot Rashica failed with his penalty to SCP goalkeeper Leopold Zingerle.

Werder did not get that out of the concept. Just one minute after the penalty, Klaassen scored after a cross from the midfield with a strong header to 1-0 for the North Germans. And Werder did the same: Zingerle couldn't deflect a shot from Joshua Sargent far enough, and Osako had no trouble pushing the ball across the line from seven meters. The Kohfeldt, who was very committed on the sidelines, clenched his fist and became even more euphoric five minutes later: After 3: 0 by Klaassen's direct take-off, the whole tension of the last few days seemed to break out of the 37-year-old with a loud cheer.

The Paderborn team, in which midfielder Klaus Gjasula saw his 17th yellow card this season after a foul on Sargent and is now the sole record holder of the Bundesliga, could hardly stage their fast attacking players against the aggressive Bremen. Bremen's goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka had to intervene seriously for the first time in the 50th minute against the rushing Sven Michel. Shortly thereafter, the Czech was lucky when the Paderborn striker only hit the post in the pouring rain.

The SCP got a little better, but Werder scored the next goal. Eggestein converted a rebound to 4: 0 and thus made the final decision half an hour before the end. The designated relegation from Paderborn continued to fight, but it was only enough for the honor goal by substitute Sabiri. In the final minutes, Bremen striker Füllkrug made his comeback after a cruciate ligament rupture and a break of almost exactly nine months. And he put the end point with his goal in injury time. After the final whistle, there was another reason to cheer when the customer from Borussia Dortmund's late 1-0 made their rounds in Düsseldorf.