Füllkrug took just five minutes to get the party started, when the Werder striker swept home Romano Schmid’s deep back-post cross. Relegated from the top flight the last time they played this fixture in 2020/21, the home side needed just three more minutes before adding a second, and Marvin Ducksch was on hand from the edge of the box to slide in his first goal of the Bundesliga campaign, sending the Weserstadion into delirium.
Evidently in no mood for mercy, Füllkrug doubled his tally on 13 minutes, and after combining well with fellow strike partner Ducksch, the 29-year-old forward had an open net to aim at, following some criminally lax defending from the visitors. Not content on the three, Werder added to their lead in much more fortunate fashion before the break, with Ramy Bensebaini’s comical own goal rounding off an atrocious showing from Die Fohlen.
Woeful in the first half, Mönchengladbach would at least leave Bremen with some credibility intact, as Marcus Thuram eased some of the pain with a stylish goal midway through the second half after rounding the Bremen goalkeeper. The Thuram goal looked like it might have sparked a Mönchengladbach comeback, with Jonas Hofmann striking the post moments later, as some isolated feelings of doubt began to creep in for the Bundesliga newbies.
Ultimately though, it was the hope that killed Mönchengladbach, and having hit the woodwork earlier in the half, Mitchell Weiser rifled home from Füllkrug’s delicate pass, restoring Bremen’s four-goal lead in the process. With no further goals forthcoming, Bremen were left to celebrate their biggest margin of victory since June 2020, and only a third haul of five or more goals in 111 all-time H2H clashes spanning back to 1965.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen)