Bundesliga: Werder Bremen move within three points of European places after thrashing hapless Augsburg 4-0

Berlin: Werder Bremen moved to within three points of the European places after a dominant 4-0 victory over a hapless Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday. The home side were 3-0 ahead in the first 30 minutes before adding a fourth in the closing moments. [caption id=“attachment_6062721” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Werder Bremen players celebrate their victory over Augsburg. Twitter: @werderbremen[/caption] Bremen had defeated Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund mid-week in the German Cup on penalties and they took that form into Sunday’s game. Wearing a special kit for their 120th birthday, Kosovan midfielder Milot Rashica scored Bremen’s first goal after just five minutes, latching onto an expertly-weighted pass from Davy Klaassen to hammer the ball into the bottom corner. Augsburg’s English defender Reece Oxford went close in the 24th minute, but the on-loan West Ham player’s header drifted just over the bar. Johannes Eggestein scored Bremen’s second almost immediately, thumping a deflected shot from Max Kruse into the net. Less than a minute later Bremen were on the attack again, with Rashica scoring a memorable goal. The midfielder cut inside off the left wing, beat Oxford before curling a stunning shot into the top corner. It was more of the same after the break for Augsburg, who lacked rhythm and confidence while looking a long way away from the side that beat Mainz 3-0 last week. Bremen’s veteran striker Claudio Pizarro, who scored against Dortmund in midweek, came off the bench in the 77th minute and he provided the flick which allowed Kevin Mohwald to add the fourth. Fortuna Duesseldorf heaped even more misery on relegation-threatened Stuttgart after a 3-0 home victory in Sunday’s late game. After being denied in the opening minutes through some superb last-ditch Stuttgart defending, Duesseldorf went 1-0 up in the 34th minute. The home side’s Stuttgart-born striker Kenan Karaman headed home a cross from Dodi Lukebakio for his first goal of the season. A fired-up Duesseldorf didn’t have to wait long before increasing their lead, captain Oliver Fink jinking in from the edge of the box on a counter before curling his shot into the far top corner of the goal. With the clock winding down, Benito Raman scored a sensational solo goal, racing half the length of the field to chip the ball over Ron-Robert Zieler’s head and into the back of the net.