Petersen secures point

Nils Petersen scored the last Bundesliga goal of 2012 to earn Werder Bremen a 1-1 draw at home to Nurnberg.

Nils Petersen scored the last Bundesliga goal of 2012 to earn Werder Bremen a point at home to Nurnberg. The former Bayern Munich striker struck just two minutes from time to salvage a point after Nurnberg had taken a shock lead six minutes earlier through Timo Gebhart. Nurnberg goalkeeper Raphael Schafer was kept busy throughout the 90 minutes with Bremen more disappointed than Nurnberg to end the year with a draw. Schafer could have sensed it was going to be a busy evening at the office when he turned Kevin De Bruyne's shot onto the post in the eighth minute. The pressure barely relented as Bremen attacked his goal insistently, going close again a minute later with Theodor Gebre Selassie's header not causing the Nurnberg goalkeeper quite as much of a problem. He was beaten in the 14th minute, but Petersen's goal was ruled out for offside. Even Schafer's own players were causing him a headache as he had to push Per Nilsson's header behind for a corner. Schafer then punched away De Bruyne's next pile-driver in the 34th minute before denying Eljero Elia just before the interval. Nurnberg attacked a bit more in the second half but it was Petersen who again went close to breaking the deadlock in the 59th minute with a shot that grazed the crossbar. De Bruyne also hit the woodwork two minutes later with his shot from distance striking the outside of Schafer's right-hand post. Schafer made light work of Sebastian Prodl's header in the 75th minute before Nurnberg struck against the run of play to take the lead in the 82nd minute. Robert Mak started the counter-attack by winning a tackle against De Bruyne and Javier Pinola picked up possession, squaring the ball to Gebhart, who did not think twice as he placed his shot in low from outside the penalty area. Bremen launched one last assault and were rewarded with the equaliser in the 88th minute. Petersen may well have been in an offside position when he diverted De Bruyne's shot in, but unlike his first-half effort, this one counted and it earned Bremen a point.