Füllkrug double helps Werder beat Gladbach

Werder Bremen 5-1 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Goals: 1-0 Füllkrug 5’ (assist: Schmid), 2-0 Ducksch (8‘), 3-0 Füllkrug 14‘ (assist: Ducksch), 4-0 Bensebaini (o.g 37’), 4-1 Thuram 64’ (assist: Stindl), 5-1 Weiser 73’ (assist: Füllkrug)

Füllkrug did not need long to scribble his name in its habitual place on the scoresheet, beating Joe Scally on the stretch to turn in Romano Schmid’s cross for his sixth goal of the season. He and Marvin Ducksch were largely responsible for earning Bremen promotion back to the Bundesliga last season with 39 goals between them, and the double act found harmony again when Ducksch opened his account for the season. Schmid burst through and though Yann Sommer stopped him with his foot, the ball fell for Ducksch to slot in his first Bundesliga goal for Bremen. Ducksch then capitalised on a mistake by Ramy Bensebaini to tee up Füllkrug for his seventh of the season, a simple tap into an empty goal from point-blank range. Christoph Kramer squandered a chance to reduce the arrears, turning his shot wide with only Jiri Pavlenka to beat, but another mistake by Bensebaini gifted Bremen a fourth as he turned a Füllkrug cross into his own goal.

Marcus Thuram put an early one-on-one with Pavlenka wide as Gladbach sought a route back into the game. Mitchell Weiser sent a header against the post as Bremen tried to turn the screw, but Gladbach got the glimmer of hope they were looking for when Thuram made no mistake with his next one-on-one opportunity, taking the ball round Pavlenka before tucking it into the back of the net. The post prevented Jonas Hofmann from further reducing the arrears midway through the second half, but any hopes the guests had of recovering were blown by Weiser as he restored Bremen’s four-goal advantage from Füllkrug’s pass, rounding off a convincing win for Werder.

• Füllkrug is the leading German goalscorer in this season's Bundesliga and now leads the overall top scorer's race.
• Gladbach conceded five goals in their first seven games of the season – they doubled that tally in 90 minutes here.
• Bremen have never scored three goals within the first 13 minutes of a Bundesliga game.
• Die Werderaner have also never led by more than four goals at half-time of a Bundesliga fixture; they last led 5-1 against Hannover in February 2010.
• The last Bremen player with seven or more goals after eight games of a season was Miroslav Klose, while Rudi Völler holds the record for the most goals after eight games (eight) from 1985/86.
• Thuram is Gladbach's leading goalscorer this season with four goals. The French attacker also got three in the DFB Cup first round.

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Watch: Niclas Füllkrug - 'Don't want to compare myself to Pizarro'

Bremen: Pavlenka - Stark, Veljkovic, Friedl (c) (Schimdt 85') - Weiser, Schmid (Stage 72'), Gruev (Rapp 77'), Groß (Bittencourt 77'), Jung - Füllkrug, Ducksch (Burke 72')
Unused subs: Zetterer, Dincki, Buchanan, Agu
Out: Mbom (Achilles) , Pieper (suspended), Salifou (abductor)
Coach: Ole Werner

Gladbach: Sommer - Scally (Lainer 77'), Friedrich, Elvedi, Bensebaini (Netz 88') - Kone (Reitz 88'), Weigl, Kramer (N'Goumou 83') - Hofmann, Thuram, Stindl (c) (Herrmann 77')
Unused subs: Sippel, Plea, Jantschke, Noß
Out: Itakura (knee), Neuhaus (knee), Wolf (shoulder)
Coach: Daniel Farke

Watch: Jonas Hofmann - 'We lost the game in the first 15 minutes'