Sabitzer Secures Happy Ending vs Bremen Despite Füllkrug's Double
Despite Füllkrug’s goals Sabitzer provided a happy ending on Tuesday evening in the second round of the DFB‑Pokal when Borussia Dortmund beat Werder Bremen 3:2 (2:0). The Austrian scored in stoppage time for the 3‑2 win. With that he sealed the comeback‑fairy‑tale of the Bremen side, which had previously been built by the early goals from Serhou Guirassy and Carney Chukwuemeka.
Füllkrug’s double and early lead
Info ticker lineup all games showed that the team of coach Niko Kovac already won 63 % of all duels in the first quarter hour. Already after six minutes Serhou Guirassy made it 1‑0 for Borussia Dortmund, followed by Carney Chukwuemeka in the 17th minute to make it 2‑0. The Dortmund side celebrated the 1‑0 through Guirassy in the foggy stadium.
Niclas Füllkrug, after being subbed on as a joker just under an hour, scored his next double. He hit a penalty in the 65th minute and three minutes later a curling shot to make it 2:2. With that he raised his season tally to ten and eleven.
Reactions and coach’s comment
Marcel Sabitzer, who scored in stoppage time from a direct free kick, became the hero of the evening. His goal in the 90+3 minute exploited a positional error by Bremen goalkeeper Karl Hein and set the final score at 3:2. With that he sealed the comeback‑fairy‑tale of the Bremen side.
In the second half Werder Bremen pressed on with more energy and earned the 1‑2 equaliser through Füllkrug. Eren Dinkci ran through and laid it across into the five‑meter area, before Nico Schlotterbeck cleared the ball uncompromisingly out to the corner. The match was completely turned around, nothing of the previously convincing Dortmund side was left to be seen.
Werder Bremen face the Dortmund clash without their left-back injured
Marco Friedl called the defeat one of the bitterest of his career: “One of the bitterest defeats I have experienced in my career so far. It really hurts.” In contrast, Sabitzer appeared happy: “That will be stored forever. I am very happy today.”
Coach Niko Kovac had advised Sabitzer before the free kick to “take heart”. The Austrian took the advice literally and delivered the Dortmund happy ending. Four days later Dortmund faces Bayern in the Bundesliga summit.
The kickoff was delayed by five minutes due to burnt pyrotechnics in both fan sections, but the match eventually got underway. The game was part of the second round of the DFB‑Pokal and the Borussia Dortmund team kept the upper hand until the end.
Dortmund edge Bremen in dramatic second‑round DFB Pokal clash
The victory boosts Dortmund's confidence ahead of the upcoming duel with Bayern and underlines the importance of the late free kick for the team.