Substitute strikers Markus Rosenberg and Hugo Almeida led Werder Bremen to a 2-0 victory against Energie Cottbus on Saturday, garnering them three points vital to their battle for second place in German top soccer league Bundesliga.

Both strikers came on in the second half and both scored to shut out Energie Cottbus 2-0. The 67th and 79th minute goals mean Bremen remain on track to qualify for the Champions League.

Despite holding tough for a long stretch of the match against a superior opponent, Energie still found themselves teetering on the precipice of relegation.

Fans in Weser Stadium were treated to aggressive offensive play by the home team from the very start. But despite excellent scoring chances, Bremen were egregiously sloppy on their follow through.

Werder's scoring woes were compounded by the tenacious goal keeping of Energie's Gerhard Tremmel, who proved the backbone of the defensive unit by blocking numerous shots.

His talents were called upon just 30 seconds into the match when Mesut Ozil shot from 20 meters out only to see the Cottbus goalie deflect it over the crossbar.

Shortly into the second half, Cottbus had an excellent opportunity to take the lead when Stanislav Angelow had Werder keeper Tim Wiese one-on-one but was unable to find the back of the net in the 54th minute.

Schaaf's substitution of Rosenberg and Almeida for the hapless Klasnic and Sanogo proved to be the match turning decision, as both strikers scored to give Bremen the victory.

Boasting 57 points in total, Bremen claim two points ahead of their long-term rival Schalke 04, who tied Hannover 1-1 on Saturday with 55 points, securing the second place in the Bundesliga table.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2008)