Stuttgart halts Bremen charge; Hertha stun Bayern
BERLIN: Ten-man Werder Bremen blew the chance to top the Bundesliga on Saturday when they lost 2-1 at Stuttgart, whose goalkeeper Ronrobert Zieler conceded a howler of an own goal.
Bremen were handed a golden chance to go top after leaders Bayern Munich crashed to a 2-0 defeat at Hertha Berlin on Friday, but instead suffered their first defeat of the season.
Bremen made a bad start in Stuttgart when Greece striker Anastasios Donis dribbled through the visitors’ defence and chipped into an open net on 19 minutes.
Their problems were compounded eight minutes before half-time when key defender Milos Veljkovic pulled back Daniel Didavi, his second foul on the Stuttgart striker, and was shown a red card.
Stuttgart shot themselves in the foot after a huge blunder by Zieler, Germany’s third-choice goalkeeper in their 2014 World Cup winning squad.
The 29-year-old took his eye off the ball when defender Borna Sosa aimed a throw-in his way and, after he got a faint touch, watched in horror as the ball rolled into his net on 68 minutes.
However, Gonzalo Castro spared Stuttgart’s blushes with their second goal 15 minutes from time.
Elsewhere, Julian Nagelsmann’s Hoffenheim, who host Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday, suffered a 2-1 home defeat to RB Leipzig, who Nagelsmann will coach next season.