Pizarro helps Bremen go second in Germany

BERLIN: Werder Bremen head coach Florian Kohfeldt poured praise on veteran striker Claudio Pizarro, who turned 40 in midweek, after his impact off the bench helped the club climb to second in the Bundesliga.

Goals either side of half-time at the Weser Stadion by playmaker Davy Klaassen and substitute striker Johannes Eggestein, set up by Pizarro, sealed Bremen’s 2-0 home win over Wolfsburg on Friday.

Klaassen gave Werder a first-half lead with a superb volley when he was quickest to a loose ball in the area, before Pizarro’s superbly-timed pass, 11 minutes after coming on, put Eggestein clear for the second goal four minutes from time.

“Claudio almost always makes the right decision, he makes no mistakes in the way he uses the ball,” said Kohfeldt after Pizarro, the top scoring foreigner in Bundesliga history, came on for his 451st league appearance.