Niclas Füllkrug strikes late as Werder Bremen snatch dramatic late 2 draw at Borussia Dortmund
Niclas Füllkrug scored a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time to earn Werder Bremen a 2-2 draw at Borussia Dortmund on Friday evening, completing a late comeback to deny the hosts a fifth successive Bundesliga win.
Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Werder Bremen
Goals: 1-0 Svensson 80' (assist: Silva), 2-0 Schlotterbeck 85' (assist: Veerman), 2-1 Reis (assist: Wójcik), 2-2 Füllkrug 90'+2 (assist: Grüll)
Niko Kovač made two changes to the side that beat VfB Stuttgart before the international break, with Jobe Bellingham and Marcel Sabitzer coming in for Joey Veerman and the unavailable Julian Ryerson. Meanwhile, Daniel Thioune named an unchanged Bremen line-up for the fourth game running.
First half: chances but no breakthrough
Dortmund dominated possession early on but could not find a way past a well-organised Bremen defence. Marcel Sabitzer went close with a free-kick that flew just wide, while Füllkrug headed over from a deep cross before being flagged offside.
Werder's Ludovit Reis also curled a shot narrowly off target after a driving run, and Maximilian Beier's low effort was kept out by a strong save from Karl Hein shortly before the break. The sides went in level at 0-0.
Second half: Dortmund break through twice
Dortmund continued to press after the restart, with Ethan Nwaneri twice denied by Hein and Füllkrug nearly breaking clear for Bremen, only for Gregor Kobel to save. The deadlock finally broke in the 80th minute when Daniel Svensson steered home from close range after good work from Fabio Silva and Serhou Guirassy. Five minutes later, Schlotterbeck doubled the advantage with a header from a Veerman corner.
Bremen's dramatic late fightback
With the game seemingly settled, Bremen responded immediately. In the 88th minute, Reis drove in from the edge of the area after a Dortmund turnover to make it 2-1. Deep into stoppage time, Füllkrug rose unmarked to head home a Marco Grüll free-kick for a dramatic 2-2 equaliser against his former club.
Player of the Match: Karl Hein
Hein was repeatedly called upon to deny Dortmund, making saves against Nwaneri on more than one occasion and against Beier before the break. According to the match statistics, he made seven saves in the game, one more than the expected tally for the chances he faced.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Dortmund 2.47 - Bremen 1.07
Fastest player: Joane Gadou (Dortmund), 36.55 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 2-1 by Ludovit Reis (Bremen), 3 percent
Most pressed player: Felix Nmecha (Dortmund), 14 challenges won
Pass efficiency: Felix Nmecha (Dortmund), +5.61
Fantasy Heroes: Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund, 314 Points), Ludovit Reis (Werder Bremen, 190 Points), Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund, 191 Points)
