BERLIN (AP) — Berlin-born teenager Patrice Čović scored his first Bundesliga goal on Sunday as Werder Bremen beat 10-man Union Berlin 4-1 away to escape the relegation zone.
The 18-year-old Čović, who progressed through Hertha Berlin’s youth setup, entered in stoppage time with the game already won, and he scored with an easy finish two minutes later.
The goal will likely have been cheered by Hertha fans. Čović’s father, Ante Čović, coached him through youth teams and he also coached the senior team during a tumultuous period in 2019 before he was replaced by Jürgen Klinsmann. Hertha is now in the second division.
Bremen won its second straight match for the first time this season after new coach Daniel Thioune started with three defeats.
“We as a team had to endure a lot. The fans had to endure a lot too,” Thioune said.
The win lifted his team three places to 13th, just three points behind Union, which has just one win in 2026 and is among a host of clubs in danger of relegation.
It started well for Union with Derrick Köhn scoring an early penalty against his ex-club.
But the game turned a minute later when Union’s Andras Schäfer was shown a red card for a foul on Jens Stage’s foot. There was no VAR intervention though a yellow card seemed more appropriate.
“It’s annoying when you work hard week-in, week-out, and then you’re set back by such a decision,” said Union captain Rani Khedira, who could soon be playing for Tunisia.
Bremen had two good chances before Olivier Deman equalized with a brilliant strike inside the top left corner in the 31st, four minutes before Stage headed Bremen in front.
Thioune made two changes at the break, taking off players who had been booked, and his team struck the post early in the second half and kept pushing.
Marco Grüll duly made it 3-1 to Bremen in the 66th and Čović provided the final flourish.
Eintracht Frankfurt drew at St. Pauli 0-0 in the early game, when fortune smiled on the visitors as St. Pauli twice struck the post in the first half.
The point was not enough to keep St. Pauli out of the relegation zone as Bremen’s win meant it jumped above Cologne, Mainz and St. Pauli.
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