It was a controversial match in Valencia what saw the hosts draw 1-1 with Werder Bremen. The match started as expected, with Bremen holding a tight defense against Valencia’s pretty passing game. But it all changed when a controversial penalty was awarded to Bremen, which Torsten Frings converted. This was 25 minutes into the match, and changed the face of the game.
From that moment on, Valencia lost their cool, and the Germans kept theirs with a stoic performance. Valencia tried to make their main weapons pay off, and were close to a goal, but Bremen didn’t let go of their playing principles. Things looked even worse for Valencia, when in the second half Banega was shown a straight red card for a rough foul. Hope looked lost for the Spaniards, but Juan Mata scored the equalizer shortly after his teammate was sent off, and made things look better for Valencia in the second leg.
