Japan international midfielder Hiroshi Kiyotake scored one and set up another on Sunday as Nuremberg twice came from behind to earn a 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.
The home side went ahead in the eighth minute when Nuremberg defender Berkay Dabanli deflected Sergio Garcia’s cross past his own goalkeeper. Then Aaron Hunt crossed for Eljero Elia to side-foot the ball inside the right post in the 34th minute, as Bremen appeared comfortably in control.
However, Kiyotake pulled one back with a thunderous half-volley before the break and Josip Drmic equalized in the 53rd minute after a fine cross from Tomas Pekhart.
Photo: EPA
Elia restored Bremen’s lead with his second in the 66th minute, another fine effort inside the far post after Nuremberg failed to clear, only for Kiyotake to play Adam Hlousek through to equalize again in the 70th.
“The first half wasn’t good — we gave away two goals — but we turned it around in the second half and took control,” said Nuremberg coach Michael Wiesinger, who is yet to be on the winning side this season. “We would have won the game, but for [Elia’s] lucky strike.”
Bremen coach Robin Dutt preferred to look on the positive side.
“I think the spectators saw a brilliant football game,” Dutt said.
Eintracht Braunschweig are still waiting for their first win since returning to the top flight after 28 years following a 4-0 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart.
“Four-nil is very one-sided, but you have to say the Braunschweigers made our lives difficult for a long time,” Stuttgart sporting director Fredi Bobic said.
The promoted side made the better start, but paid the price for poor finishing and naive defending.
Vedad Ibisevic scored against the run of play with a header from Alexandru Maxim’s free-kick in the 40th minute, the Bosnian’s sixth goal of the season, though television replays showed he pushed a defender to reach the ball.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Ibisevic said. “I’m a striker that always tries to get to the ball. The referee didn’t see it. The decision went our way.”
Braunschweig coach Torsten Lieberknecht said Ibisevic was merely doing his job, “so you won’t hear any complaints from me.”
Maxim made it 2-0 five minutes after the break when he reacted first to a rebound after Marjan Petkovic spilled Ibrahima Traore’s effort from long range. It was Maxim’s eighth goal or assist in just five Bundesliga appearances.
Braunschweig then threatened briefly before Traore killed off any hopes of a comeback when he played a one-two with Christian Gentner and scored in the 76th minute.
Stuttgart substitute Martin Harnik rubbed salt in Braunschweig wounds with another goal four minutes from time, with Traore again involved.
Braunschweig remain bottom of the table with just one point from seven games — the worst start any side has made in the top flight.
“There’s still pride there that we’re involved. It’s a big challenge,” Lieberknecht said. “We always have phases in which we’re good, but we suffer setbacks in our positive phases. We have to address that.”
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