Werder Bremen and the potential curse of Heidenheim | OneFootball

May 28th, 2023 was one of the funniest days in SV Werder Bremen history.

The Green-Whites did not have a game that day, and they technically weren’t involved in anything that took place on the day. However, their biggest rivals Hamburger SV were.

It was the final matchday of the 2. Bundesliga season. Hamburg started the afternoon in 3rd place, but they could jump into the automatic promotion places if they were to win their match and FC Heidenheim failed to win theirs.

90 minutes later, and it seemed like the dream had come true. Hamburg had beaten SV Sandhausen 1-0, while Heidenheim were down 2-1 to Jahn Regensburg. As the games kicked off at the same time, Hamburg knew there should be no time left for Heidenheim to get the goals they needed.

They stormed the field, celebrating their return to the top-flight. There was one problem, as Heidenheim’s contest wasn’t ending anytime soon. They had been given 11 minutes of injury time.

It only took a few minutes for them to equalize, with Jan-Niklas Beste converting from the penalty spot. Then, in the 99th minute, disaster struck for Hamburg. Heidenheim found a winner, and it was their star striker Tim Kleindienst who rifled home from close range to complete a remarkable comeback.

HSV supporters had to watch the scenes unfold on the pitch moments after they were celebrating promotion. That dream was ripped away from them, and they were forced into the relegation-playoff, which they ultimately lost to VfB Stuttgart.

While it was an incredibly dark day for them, it was a glorious one for fans of Bremen. They had not only seen their bitter rivals fail to secure promotion for another season, they saw them do it in the most heartbreaking fashion imaginable.

It didn’t matter that Heidenheim was going up, all that mattered was that Hamburg was staying down.

Unfortunately for Werder, they are now somewhat being haunted by the ghosts of that day.

First, let’s take a look at the matchups between the two teams last season. Heidenheim were the hosts for the first contest, and they made a dream start to proceedings as Kleindienst scored a penalty in the 5th minute. They then doubled the advantage right before the halftime break, with Eren Dinkci getting onto the scoresheet. We’ll get back to him later.

Bremen fought back, and remarkably came back to tie things up with two headers in the span of 15 minutes. This seemed like the point they were going to take control of the match, as they had been seen as favorites against the Bundesliga’s newcomers.

Instead, Heidenheim pulled away again. Dinkci grabbed a second, and then former Bremen man Beste sealed the result late on.

Alright, one loss isn’t the end of the world, even if it is disappointing.

The reverse fixture in Bremen was set to be a special occasion, as the club was celebrating their 125th anniversary. They were wearing a special kit to honor the day, and the Weserstadion was packed and incredibly loud, covered in tifos.

Heidenheim then went 2-0 up in the opening 18 minutes. All the air and excitement in the stadium had been sucked out, and the newly-promoted side had decided to spoil the party. Even though Werder got one back right away, they failed to find an equalizer despite all their efforts.

That result proved to be crucial. Going into the final day of the Bundesliga campaign, the two clubs were fighting for the final European spot. They were level on points, but Heidenheim had a narrow lead on goal differential.

Bremen did their part, beating VfL Bochum 4-1. However, so did Heidenheim, as they also won 4-1 against FC Köln. Werder had missed out on European football by two goals, and they missed out because of Heidenheim, the team they were so happy to see promoted.

One of Heidenheim’s key players that campaign was the aforementioned Eren Dinkci. What was ironic about him is that he was actually a loanee, and he was on loan from Bremen. Their own academy player not only scored against them, he cost them a European adventure.

It got worse. Dinkci was so good that other clubs took interest, and noticed he had a pretty low release clause. The player also decided he no longer wanted to return to Werder, where he felt he wasn’t utilized properly. In the end Freiburg paid the clause, and Bremen lost a potential future star for much less than he was worse.

It seemed like Werder weren’t going to have to worry much about Heidenheim this season. Going into the winter break things were looking much more promising for the Green-Whites, as they were back in the European race, while Heidenheim found themselves in a relegation scrap despite strong showings in the UEFA Conference League.

However, it was a battle when the two sides faced off this past Wednesday. Bremen opened the scoring within minutes, but they conceded at the half-hour mark. They retook the lead in the 56th minute, but then Heidenheim leveled things again only five minutes later. Finally it looked like Werder grabbed a winner in the 79th minute.

However, there was always going to be one final twist. This is Heidenheim after all.

Bremen midfielder Jens Stage flew into a tackle on the edge of the penalty area in the 95th minute, winning the ball in heroic fashion. However, the referee chose to call a foul and give a free-kick instead. Leo Scienza stepped up, and he curled the resulting dead ball into the back of the net.

It was heartbreak for Werder, who dropped two points in the toughest of fashions. They had once again been haunted by a team they had celebrated a year and a half ago.

Maybe this is some sort of karmic retribution for how happy Bremen fans were in the depression felt by their bitter rivals? Maybe their toxicity on that day will continue to hurt them into the future? Maybe they’ve chosen a much worse evil in Heidenheim?

Then again, Werder fans might not mind at all. Hamburg are still stuck in the depths of the 2. Bundesliga after all, and that's what really matters.