Werder Bremen overturned a two-goal deficit to halt Borussia Dortmund’s perfect start to the Bundesliga campaign, as former Germany international Niclas Füllkrug netted a sensational stoppage-time leveller against his old side.
Dortmund dominated the opening exchanges but found it difficult to convert their possession into clear-cut opportunities, with Bremen defending stubbornly. The visitors carried a threat through Füllkrug, whose powerful header was disallowed due to a marginal offside call. Bremen then endured an injury blow when Amos Pieper was forced off, with summer recruit Oskar Wójcik coming on in his place.
Goalkeeper Karl Hein kept Bremen alive with a series of crucial stops, including a stunning save to keep out Maximilian Beier shortly before half-time. Dortmund also posed a danger via Marcel Sabitzer, while Ludovit Reis squandered a chance at the opposite end as both teams continued to exchange opportunities.
Borussia Dortmund seize control against Werder Bremen
Hein was called into action again soon after the interval, denying Nico Schlotterbeck and Ethan Nwaneri as Dortmund started the second period on the front foot. Nwaneri, who had been subdued before the break, kept causing problems and later seemed to score with an overhead kick, but referee Christian Dingert halted play for an earlier foul.
Füllkrug also went close to finding the net when Gregor Kobel kept out the striker following another long ball from Hein. The battle between the two Arsenal loanees continued as Hein made another save to deny Nwaneri before the young forward was taken off for Fabio Silva.
Bremen slowly grew into the match, with summer additions Konstantinos Karetsas and Joey Veerman also brought on during the final 20 minutes. Dortmund finally broke the deadlock after Beier pounced on Mitchell Weiser’s misplaced pass and sparked a counterattack. Although Fabio Silva could not direct his attempt on target after combining with Serhou Guirassy, Daniel Svensson was well placed to score on his 50th appearance.
Dortmund doubled their lead through captain Schlotterbeck, who headed in from Veerman’s corner. It was the team’s first set-piece goal of the season, but Bremen argued that the goal should have been disallowed because Felix Nmecha had impeded Hein from an offside position.
Niclas Füllkrug completes Werder Bremen’s comeback
Bremen swiftly cut the deficit after a mistake by Schlotterbeck allowed Reis to fire in a magnificent strike. The goal reignited the visitors’ hopes and set up a tense finale as Dortmund tried to protect their two-goal cushion.
Dortmund had previously let slip a two-goal lead in stoppage time against Bremen in 2022, losing 3-2, and history looked set to repeat itself. Füllkrug produced the decisive moment when he met Marco Grüll’s free-kick with an unmarked header to make it 2-2 in added time.
The equaliser stretched Füllkrug’s scoring streak to four consecutive matches and denied his former club another Bundesliga win. Bremen’s fightback ended Dortmund’s winning start and sealed a dramatic result after the visitors had spent much of the game defending.
The teams will face each other again at the end of the month in the second round of the DFB-Pokal. Before that, Dortmund travels to Bodø/Glimt on Wednesday before meeting Union Berlin on matchday six, while Bremen’s next outing is a home fixture against newly promoted Paderborn.