A Fuellkrug stoppage-time header earned Werder Bremen a dramatic 2-2 draw at Borussia Dortmund on Friday night, as the visitors twice came from behind at Signal Iduna Park.
All four goals arrived in a frantic final 10 minutes, with Bremen scoring twice in the closing stages to deny the Bundesliga leaders a club-record-equalling fifth straight win at the start of the season.
A frantic finish in Dortmund
For 79 minutes, the game had produced no goals and little to excite the Yellow Wall. Neither side had managed a shot on target in the opening 41 minutes, and Bremen goalkeeper Karl Hein kept his side in the contest with a string of fine saves, including a brilliant one-handed stop to deny Maximilian Beier just before the break.
Daniel Svensson finally broke the resistance in the 80th minute, poking home from close range on the counter-attack after being set up by Fabio Silva. Five minutes later, Nico Schlotterbeck headed in from a corner, delivered by Joey Veerman, and the three points looked secure.
Bremen had other ideas. Ludovit Reis smashed in a low long-range strike in the 88th minute, set up by substitute Oskar Wojcik, to give the visitors hope. Then, in the second minute of stoppage time, Fuellkrug rose to head home a free-kick from Marco Grull and silence the home crowd.
Fuellkrug stoppage-time header haunts his former club
The goal carried extra meaning for Fuellkrug. The German striker was making his first visit to Dortmund since leaving the club for West Ham in 2024, and his header completed a remarkable personal moment against his former employers.
Fuellkrug had earlier been denied by Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel from close range, and he briefly had another chance after latching on to a long ball. When his moment finally came in stoppage time, he did not miss.
Dortmund had dominated for long spells after half-time. Arsenal loanee Ethan Nwaneri thought he had opened the scoring with a superb overhead kick on the hour, only for the goal to be disallowed for a foul in the build-up. Marcel Sabitzer grazed the post with a direct free-kick in the first half, while Hein was twice called into action to keep out deflected efforts from Schlotterbeck and Nwaneri.
Title race wide open after Werder Bremen Dortmund draw
The draw cost Dortmund their first points of the campaign and handed Bayern Munich the chance to move top of the table with a win away at Augsburg on Saturday.
For Bremen, who finished a disappointing 15th last season, the result was another sign of improvement. Niko Kovac’s Dortmund, meanwhile, were left to reflect on a game they controlled for long periods but failed to kill off.
Bremen were forced into an early change when Amos Pieper went off injured in the 19th minute and was replaced by Wojcik, the substitute who would later set up Reis’s goal.
Frequently asked questions
What was the score between Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen?
The Bundesliga match at Signal Iduna Park on October 9 finished 2-2. Daniel Svensson and Nico Schlotterbeck scored for Dortmund, while Ludovit Reis and Niclas Fuellkrug replied for Bremen.
Who scored Werder Bremen’s equaliser?
Niclas Fuellkrug headed in a stoppage-time equaliser from a Marco Grull free-kick, on his first return to Dortmund since leaving the club for West Ham in 2024.
What does the draw mean for the Bundesliga title race?
Dortmund dropped their first points after four straight wins, which gives Bayern Munich the chance to go top of the table if they beat Augsburg on Saturday.
When did all the goals happen?
All four goals came in the final 10 minutes: Svensson in the 80th minute, Schlotterbeck in the 85th, Reis in the 88th, and Fuellkrug in the 92nd.
*Sources: SuperSport, theScore. Related: Isak and Gakpo ruled out of Liverpool’s Man City clash, Xabi Alonso defends Cole Palmer’s England commitment, Maresca backs Man City’s financial verdict appeal, Ronaldo scores on Al-Nassr return.*
