Füllkrug stuns former club as Bremen snatch late 2-2 draw at Dortmund
Niclas Füllkrug returned to haunt his former club with a stoppage-time header as Werder Bremen produced a stunning late fightback to hold Borussia Dortmund to a 2-2 draw and end the hosts’ perfect start to the Bundesliga season.
All four goals arrived in a breathless final 12 minutes at a packed Signal Iduna Park on Friday night. Dortmund looked set for a fifth successive victory when Daniel Svensson and Nico Schlotterbeck struck in quick succession after the 80th minute, only for Ludovit Reis and Füllkrug to snatch a point that felt like a victory for the visitors.
Dortmund dominated for long periods, enjoying more than 70 per cent possession and creating the clearer chances, but they were frustrated by a stubborn Bremen defence and the inspired goalkeeping of Karl Hein. The Estonian made a series of important saves, notably denying Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri on more than one occasion, while a spectacular Nwaneri overhead kick was correctly ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
The breakthrough finally arrived with 10 minutes remaining. Serhou Guirassy surged down the right on the counter and found Fabio Silva, whose scuffed effort was turned in at close range by Svensson to open the scoring. Five minutes later Schlotterbeck rose to head home Joey Veerman’s corner and the points appeared safe.
Bremen refused to accept defeat. Oskar Wójcik intercepted a loose Dortmund pass and Reis drove a fierce shot past Gregor Kobel from the edge of the area in the 88th minute to halve the deficit. Then, deep into added time, Marco Grüll floated a free-kick into the box and Füllkrug, unmarked, powered a header beyond Kobel to complete a remarkable recovery against the club he left for West Ham two years earlier.
The result left Dortmund still top of the table but with their 100 per cent record gone, while Bremen’s late resilience earned them a valuable point on the road. For Füllkrug it was a night of pure satisfaction; for Niko Kovac’s side, a painful lesson in the need to close out games.
