BERLIN, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Werder Bremen tightened their top three spot after beating Schalke on Maximilian Eggestein's brace at the eighth round in Bundesliga on Saturday.
Both sides needed some time to gain a foothold into the clash but still goal scoring opportunities remained a rare occurrence in a contested first half.
Guido Burgstaller's solo run and shot on target in the fifth minutes remained the only note worthy chance for some time.
The encounter suddenly burst into life out of the blue just before the end of the first half as Maximilian Eggestein unleashed a well-placed low shot to beat Schalke's back-up goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel into the far post corner.
After the restart, Schalke made amendments and took the reins. Guido Burgstaller tested Bremen goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenk with a shot from sharp angle before Salif Sane missed the target just wide with a header.
The "Royal Blues" remained on the front foot but neither Franco Di Santo nor Weston McKennie was able to tap home a dangerous delivery into the box from Mark Uth.
Schalke's wastefulness got punished at the other end of the pitch as Max Kruse shrugged off three defenders to set up for Maximilian Eggestein, who had all time and space to drill a low shot into the far post corner from inside the box in the 66th minute.
The hosts pressed frenetically for a goal but all their efforts remained fruitless even though Mark Uth came very close after rattling the crossbar from very close range in the 88th minute.
Bremen should have added another goal but substitute Kevin Moehwald squandered two promising opportunities in the closing period.
"I am very satisfied with the performance of my team. We scored the goals at the right time. Schalke increased the pressure in the second half but we remained focussed," Bremen's head coach Florian Kohfeldt said.
"We started good into the encounter but Bremen's opener shocked us. We pressed in the second half but Bremen secured a deserved win as they were more effective," Schalke's head coach Domenico Tedesco said.
With the victory, Werder Bremen oust Bayern Munich from the second place in the standings meanwhile Schalke slipped to the 16th place.
The following fixtures conclude the eighth round in Bundesliga on Sunday. Hertha Berlin host Freiburg and Borussia Monchengladbach face Mainz.
