Super Eagles‑eligible defender Isaac Schmidt made an immediate impact on his Bundesliga debut for Werder Bremen on Saturday, coming off the bench to score a crucial goal in a dramatic 3-3 draw against Bayer Leverkusen.
The three-cap Switzerland international had completed a loan move from Leeds United just two days earlier, with Werder Bremen securing an option to make the transfer permanent. Schmidt was one of four players of Nigerian descent featured in the match at the Weserstadion. Felix Agu and Justin Njinmah started for Werder Bremen, while Nathan Tella was in the starting lineup for Bayer Leverkusen.
Seeking more regular playing time after making 14 appearances across all competitions for Leeds last season, Schmidt was handed a fresh opportunity in the Bundesliga. Wearing the No. 23 shirt, he was introduced in the 72nd minute for Samuel Mbangula and quickly made his mark. Four minutes after entering the field, Schmidt capitalised on a mistake by the Leverkusen goalkeeper, calmly rolling the ball into an empty net to give Bremen a lifeline. Moments earlier, he had almost scored when a deflected effort struck the side-netting.
Leverkusen had taken a 2-0 lead through Patrik Schick and Malik Tillman before Romano Schmid converted a penalty to reduce the deficit. Schick restored Leverkusen’s two-goal advantage midway through the second half, only for Schmidt and Karim Coulibaly to strike late and secure Bremen’s first point of the season.
Notably, the three fastest players on the pitch shared Nigerian heritage, with Tella recording the highest speed, followed by Agu and Njinmah.
