FC Augsburg claimed a dominant 3-1 victory at Werder Bremen, with Anton Kade scoring twice to secure a crucial away win at the Weserstadion.
Werder Bremen welcomed FC Augsburg to the Weserstadion on May 2 as both sides sought to improve their league positions. Bremen sat 12th with 32 points from 31 matches, while Augsburg occupied 9th place with 37 points. The visitors arrived in better form, looking to build momentum in the closing stages of the season.
Augsburg struck first in the 24th minute when Kade found the back of the net. The forward showed composure to finish and give the visitors an early advantage. Bremen pressed for an equalizer but struggled to break down Augsburg's defense in the opening period.
Just before halftime, Kade doubled his tally. In the 45th minute plus three seconds, the striker netted again to extend Augsburg's lead to 2-0. Bremen's defense looked vulnerable, and Kade's clinical finishing punished them twice in the opening 45 minutes.
The halftime break offered Bremen a chance to regroup. However, the hosts faced an uphill battle with two goals down and everything to prove in the second half.
Romano Schmid pulled one back for Bremen in the 64th minute. The midfielder's goal sparked hope among the home crowd and made the scoreline more respectable at 2-1.
Augsburg quickly extinguished those hopes. Kristijan Jakić added a third goal in the 69th minute to restore the visitors' two-goal cushion. The strike effectively settled the contest and ended any realistic comeback hopes for the hosts.
Bremen pressed forward in search of another goal but could not find a way past Augsburg's solid defense. The visitors controlled the remainder of the match and saw out the victory comfortably.
Statistically, Augsburg dominated the key metrics. The visitors generated an expected goals total of 2.29 compared to Bremen's 1.12. Augsburg managed seven shots on target from 14 total attempts, while Bremen recorded just four shots on goal from 14 attempts.
Bremen controlled possession with 69 percent but could not convert their territorial advantage into goals. Augsburg's clinical finishing and defensive discipline proved decisive. The hosts completed 553 accurate passes from 638 total attempts, showing control without reward.
Kade's two-goal performance earned him a match rating of 8.9. Schmid impressed for Bremen with a rating of 8.3 despite the defeat. Both players demonstrated quality in the final third throughout the contest.
The defeat leaves Bremen in 12th place with 32 points from 32 matches. Augsburg's win moves them to 38 points from 32 matches, strengthening their position in the top half of the table. The result highlights the importance of clinical finishing at this stage of the season.
