Paying back the trust | OneFootball

Coulibaly was given head coach Horst Steffen’s full trust (Photo: WERDER.DE).

Karim Coulibaly writes himself into the club’s history books on first Werder start

It’s the moment just before the Weserstadion erupts. As the ball bounces off the crossbar, Karim Coulibaly is the quickest to react and volleys the ball over the line from five yards out. The 18-year-old secured a crucial point for Werder in his first starting appearance in the 3-3 draw with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. And in doing so, Coulibaly made Werder history.

It wasn’t an easy start for the defender, as his misplaced ball allowed the Werkself to open the scoring. Although Coulibaly made further inaccurate passes, an early substitution was out of the question for the head coach. “We have to show our young players the trust they need and not take it away from them after the first mistake,” said Horst Steffen. “He was constantly calling for the ball, which is the first hurdle when you’re being put under so much pressure.”

Coulibaly’s defensive teammate Niklas Stark was especially grateful to the 18-year-old. Stark was shown a second yellow in the 65th minute and was thereafter unable to help his team on the pitch. The defender embraced the goalscorer as the team celebrated securing the draw in the dying minutes of the game. “I’m so happy that he was able to help the team earn a point,” said Stark. “I’ve also made mistakes in my career, which are obviously difficult but ultimately a normal part of the game as well.”

If you’d told Coulibaly before the game that he would leave the pitch as Werder’s youngest ever Bundesliga goalscorer, he probably wouldn’t have believed you himself. The Oldenburg native (18 years, 3 months and 7 days) surpasses Aaron Hunt (18 years, 5 months, and 8 days) in this respect, who scored his first Bundesliga goal on 12th February 2005 against Borussia Mönchengladbach. “Karim is a really good young man, and an excellent footballer,” said teammate Leonardo Bittencourt, full of praise for the youngster. “He’s got a great future ahead of him, if he can stay focused and keep himself fit.”

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