By OkayGoal 
Salim Musah experienced a real rollercoaster in Werder Bremen’s 1â0 defeat to Hoffenheim, as his first Bundesliga start lasted only twelve minutes.
The 20-year-old forward was taken off early after Yukinari Sugawara saw a straight red card, forcing Daniel Thioune to change his plans.
Sugawara’s dismissal for a reckless challenge left Bremen a man down almost from the start. Thioune reacted by bringing on Isaac Schmidt to stabilise the defence, with Musah the unlucky player sacrificed for the tactical reshuffle. The coach made it clear afterwards that the substitution was not a reflection of the youngster’s performance, describing him as “a pawn sacrifice” in the situation.
Thioune stressed that Musah had fully earned his starting place and was “very happy and excited” to be in the XI. The decision, he underlined, was purely about restoring balance after the red card. Because Musah had no real chance to show what he can do, Thioune is now strongly considering handing him another start on the final day against Borussia Dortmund, provided he trains well during the week.
With little left at stake in the table for Werder, the talented striker’s chances of returning to the lineup look promising as he seeks to make a proper statement in front of the home fans.