Coulibaly's late equaliser earns ten-man Werder a point at home | OneFootball

Karim Coulibaly's first Bundesliga goal saw Werder draw 3-3 at home (Photo: W.DE).

Match report following 3-3 draw against Bayer 04 Leverkusen

SV Werder Bremen fought their way back to earn a 3-3 draw at home against last season's runners-up Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The Green-Whites were reduced to ten men following Niklas Stark's sending off (63'), but rallied to net a last-gasp equaliser through 18-year-old Karim Coulibaly.

Line-up and formation: Niklas Stark and Felix Agu, who trained individually this week in order to manage their workloads, both started against Leverkusen. New signing Yukinari Sugawara made his Werder debut, while Karim Coulibaly came in for captain Marco Friedl, who picked up a knee injury against Frankfurt. Patrice Čović replaced Leonardo Bittencourt in the starting XI.

Starting XI: Backhaus – Stark, Sugawara, Mbangula, Njinmah, Lynen, Grüll, Schmid, Čović, Agu, Coulibaly.

Bench: Hein - Topp, Bittencourt, Hansen-Aarøen, Schmidt, Alvero, Schmetgens, Adeh, Optitz.

Leverkusen open the scoring, Schmid cuts the deficit from the spot

Mbangula won a penalty for Werder after being taken down inside the box by Tape (Photo: W.DE).

First-half highlights:

5th min: Leverkusen waste no time. Coulibaly’s ball is intercepted by Tella, who breaks without hesitation. After reaching the byline, the winger quickly checks the box, before cutting the ball back to a waiting Patrik Schick. The Werkself striker strikes cleanly from the penalty spot to put the visitors ahead.

18th min: Werder’s first dangerous chance comes from Marco Grüll. After a solid build-up phase, the striker attempts a shot from range, which only narrowly misses the target.

35th min: Leverkusen double their lead. Lynen fails to control a delivery from Kofane, which subsequently falls to Malik Tillman. The attacker is able to finish from close range to double their advantage.

44th min: Werder get one back! Mbangula drives into the box, where he's brought to ground by Tape. After consulting with the VAR, referee Dr. Robin Braun points to the spot. Schmid steps up and coolly slots his penalty past Flekken to cut the deficit.

45th min +1: Coulibaly gives up possession as the last man, allowing Kofane to get off a shot. Fortunately for the Green-Whites, the attacker only hits the bar with his effort.

45th min +7: So close to the equaliser! Grüll's free kick catches Flekken unaware, with the goalkeeper able to get his hands to it just in time. The ball goes out of play for a Werder corner, with Grüll getting on the end of it. His effort goes just over the bar.

Stark sees red – Coulibaly's late equaliser rescues a point

Stark was shown a second yellow after a late challenge on Kofane (Photo: nordphoto).

Second-half highlights:

64th min: Stark is sent off after a late challenge in the box, as Schick converts the penalty. The Werder captain is shown his second yellow of the match after bringing down Kofane, with the referee pointing to the spot. Schick buries his penalty past Backhaus to net his second of the match.

68th min: Flekken looks to switch the play, but instead sends his clearance straight at Grüll. Mbangula lays the ball off to the striker, but his shot from a tight angle is unable to find a way through.

75th min: Werder cut the deficit! Leverkusen lose possession near the halfway line, as Topp picks out new signing Schmidt. Flekken rushes out of the box to cut off the pass, but Schmidt beats him to the ball and heads it over the goalkeeper, leaving him with an empty net to finish into. Game on!

80th min: Werder's next chance falls to Topp, but he's unable to beat Flekken with a low shot.

90th min +4: 3-3! What a game! Lynen's header crashes off the bar and back into play, where it's turned in by Coulibaly at the back post!

90th min +6: Full time. After the international break, Werder return to action on 14th September as they travel to Borussia Mönchengladbach for matchday 3 of the Bundesliga season. Kick-off is scheduled for 17:30 CEST at BORUSSIA-PARK.

Summary: A poor start from the hosts allowed Leverkusen to open up a 2-0 lead, with Werder forced to fight their way back into the game. A red card for Niklas Stark complicated matters, but the Green-Whites rallied admirably to eventually take a point off last season's runners-up with the help of Coulibaly's late equaliser.

Match statistics:

SV Werder: Backhaus - Sugawara, Stark, Coulibaly, Agu - Čović (65' Alvero), Lynen - Njinmah (65' Bittencourt), Schmid, Mbangula (71' Schmidt) - Grüll (71' Topp)

Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Flekken - Tape (72' Badé), Quansah, Tapsoba - Andrich - Tella (87' Maza), Aleix Garcia (61' Palacios), Tillman (61' Echeverri), Grimaldo - Kofane (72' Poku), Schick

Goals: 0-1 Schick (5'), 0-2 Tillman (35'), 1-2 Schmid (44', pen.), 1-3 Schick (64', pen.), 2-3 Schmidt (76'), 3-3 Coulibaly (90+4').

Yellow cards: Lynen, Stark, Schmidt / Kofane, Quansah

Second yellows: Stark (64')

Referee: Dr. Robin Braun

Spectators: 42,100 (sold out)