Borussia Dortmund scored twice in the final ten minutes to salvage a dramatic 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen on Friday night. The late comeback preserved their unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season and kept them firmly in second place.
How the drama unfolded
The match was a story of late fireworks. After a goalless first half, D. Svensson equalised for Dortmund in the 80th minute, assisted by F. Silva. Schlotterbeck then headed the hosts into a brief lead just five minutes later, set up by substitute Joey Veerman. Werder Bremen responded with a quick double of their own, as Reis levelled in the 88th minute before Niclas Füllkrug struck in the 90th to seal the final score. Manager Niko Kovac had injected fresh energy with a triple substitution earlier in the half.
Stats and discipline
The statistics reflected Dortmund's dominance, with 72% possession and 21 shots compared to Bremen's 11. Their expected goals (xG) tally of 2.42 showed their creative threat. The frantic finish saw discipline slip, however, with Felix Nmecha and Joey Veerman both receiving late yellow cards. The point keeps Dortmund second in the table with 13 points from five matches, maintaining an unbeaten run of four wins and a draw.
What comes next
Attention now turns to European competition. Dortmund travel to face Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, 14 October. They then return to Bundesliga action on 17 October with an away fixture against 16th-placed Union Berlin. For these challenges, Kovac will still be without several key players through injury, including Emre Can and Julian Ryerson.
