Demirovic levels Stage's opener as Stuttgart secure draw to climb to fourth

The home side's sluggish beginning was understandable following their extended match on Thursday, which saw them advance to back-to-back DFB-Pokal finals.

Werder Bremen looked poised to defy expectations and take the lead soon after kick-off, yet Senne Lynen, despite 92 Bundesliga outings without a goal, missed twice, while Jens Stage nodded a header over the distant upright.

Stuttgart overlooked these early alerts, and by the 18th minute, they had scant grounds for protest when the sharp Stage slotted in a superb low volley from Yukinari Sugawara’s pull-back.

Bremen's keeper Mio Backhaus was kept occupied shortly after, blocking a fierce Bilal El Khannouss header and then clutching Maximilian Mittelstadt’s diverted set-piece.

His standout moment arrived during added time at the end of the first half, tipping away a bending shot from Deniz Undav, just after Jovan Milosevic wasted an opportunity to extend Bremen's lead by firing wide following a challenge on Dan-Axel Zagadou.

The Swabians displayed minimal progress at the start of the second period, leading Sebastian Hoeneß to bring on Chris Fuhrich and Ermedin Demirovic as substitutes.

This substitution turned out to be inspired, with Demirovic nodding home El Khannouss’ cross to equalise merely four minutes after entering the fray.

Bremen's forward momentum had faded since the interval, though they squandered a clear opening to regain the upper hand when Stage meekly struck at Alexander Nubel from an unmarked position within the six-yard area.

In reply, Backhaus pushed Angelo Stiller’s free-kick clear of threat, allowing Bremen to cling onto the stalemate, which propels them past three fellow strugglers in the Bundesliga table and extends their buffer from the drop zone to six points.

This marks Bremen's initial point this season versus any top-five side, whereas Stuttgart have now dropped points in three of their most recent four league fixtures.