Burke brace sends Bremen past 10-man Stuttgart

BERLIN: Scotland international Oliver Burke scored a 90th-minute winner as Werder Bremen came from a goal down to win away at a 10-man Stuttgart 2-1 on Sunday.

Burke´s 32nd-minute goal cancelled out Leonidas Stergiou´s 19th-minute strike, leaving things level at the break. Former Bremen striker Nick Woltemade, who has pushed himself into the Germany conversation since moving to Stuttgart in pre-season, picked up a second yellow after 65 minutes.

With Stuttgart holding on in hope of a first home point since January, Leonardo Bittencourt slipped a pass to Burke, who hammered home as the clock ticked towards injury time. Burke, who has 13 caps for Scotland since making his debut in 2016, now has three goals in his past two games for Bremen.

The loss, Stuttgart´s fifth home defeat in a row, leaves last season´s league runners-up in 11th, eight points off the Champions League placings. Stuttgart have qualified for the German Cup final and will make it through to the Europa League regardless of league position should they beat third-division Arminia Bielefeld in Berlin in May.

Bremen have now won four of their past five games to go three points behind the European placings in their bid to return to continental competition for the first time since 2011. Later on Sunday, Eintracht Frankfurt can move into outright third on the ladder by avoiding defeat against lowly Heidenheim.