Hoffenheim is now fighting for Europe
DFB hope Beier also finishes off Werder with a brace
March 3, 2024, 7:26 p.m
The train to the European Football Championship is far from having left the mark. Especially not for U21 international Maxi Beier, who is now targeting Werder Bremen a week after his brace against BVB. National coach Nagelsmann takes notes. Hoffenheim is now looking towards Europe in the Bundesliga.
High-flyer Maximilian Beier’s applications for the European Championships are becoming more and more urgent. With his second brace in nine days, the youngster scored TSG Hoffenheim’s second win in a row. At the end of the 24th Bundesliga matchday, the Kraichgauer team won 2-1 (2-0) against Bremen, who were previously tied on points.
Beier scored in the 8th and 44th minutes for Hoffenheim, who are hoping to take part in the European Cup as seventh in the table after their only home win on matchday 24. They were goals number eleven and twelve of the season for the 21-year-old. The yellow-red card for Marius Bülter for repeated foul play (73′) jeopardized the win in stoppage time.
Werder remains eighth after the defeat and missed a club record. With a three-pointer, the Hanseatic League would have achieved four away wins in a row for the first time in their history, but it was only enough for Skelly Alvero (90th + 2) to score with a backheel.
Beier celebrated with chants
In front of 25,000 spectators in Sinsheim, Hoffenheim started very strongly. Beier, who scored twice in the last matchday’s win at Borussia Dortmund (3-2), posed a major threat in front of the Bremen goal for the first time in the 6th minute. A little later Ihlas Bebou took the lead (7th).
Seconds later, Beier, who is increasingly seen as a hot candidate for national coach Julian Nagelsmann, scored with a remarkable direct shot from a corner. Even after taking the lead, the hosts remained in control. Bebou (15th), Beier (19th) and Anton Stach (21st) could have increased.
Almost nothing worked for Bremen, who had to do without captain Marco Friedl, among other things. That only changed in the 22nd minute when Felix Agu missed the chance to equalize. Four minutes later, Marvin Ducksch had a great opportunity. In the 39th minute the striker was even closer to scoring, but the post was in the way. Beier, on the other hand, completed a very strong counterattack on the other side after Bebou’s preparatory work.
At the start of the second half, Werder increased their risk. Agu could have made the connection (51′), Beier should have scored his third goal on another counterattack (58′). In the 70th minute, referee Matthias Jöllenbeck (Freiburg) denied the attacker a clear penalty. After Bülter was sent off, TSG coach Pellegrino Matarazzo took the double goalscorer off the pitch in the 77th minute and the fans celebrated the striker with chants.