Marcel Sabitzer's late free kick sends Borussia Dortmund past Werder Bremen in DFB Cup thriller
Marcel Sabitzer scored a stoppage-time free kick as Borussia Dortmund edged a thrilling DFB Cup second-round tie against Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen.
Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Werder Bremen
Goals: 1-0 Guirassy 6’ (assist: Ryerson), 2-0 Chukwuemeka 17’ (assist: Bellingham), 2-1 Füllkrug 65’ (pen), 2-2 Füllkrug 69’ (assist: Lynen), 3-2 Sabitzer 90’+3
This DFB Cup second-round meeting followed a 2-2 Bundesliga draw between the sides earlier in the season, a game in which Bremen overturned a two-goal deficit. The two clubs had also met in the cup before, with Bremen winning 3-2 in the last-16 back in February 2020.
Niko Kovač made four changes to his side from the win over Eintacht Frankfurt, with Ramy Bensebaini suspended, while Daniel Thioune also rotated four players for Bremen, dropping ex-Dortmund striker Niclas Füllkrug to the bench.
Dortmund race into two-goal lead
Dortmund were ahead within six minutes. Maximilian Beier found Julian Ryerson, whose touch sent Serhou Guirassy clear to sweep the ball home for 1-0. Guirassy's header from a corner was then ruled out for offside, before Dortmund doubled their lead in the 17th minute as Jobe Bellingham headed a Joey Veerman cross into the path of Carney Chukwuemeka, who finished into the far corner.
Bremen's best first-half chance fell to Cedric Itten, whose free header from ten yards was too central to trouble Gregor Kobel.
Füllkrug drags Bremen level
Thioune made a quadruple change on the hour, sending on Füllkrug among others. In the 65th minute, Ryerson pulled back Mick Schmetgens in the box, and up stepped Füllkrug to send Kobel the wrong way from the resulting penalty.
Three minutes later, Füllkrug ran onto a ball from Senne Lynen, drove through midfield and fired low into the far corner from range to make it 2-2. With extra time looming, Kovač responded with three substitutions, sending on Sabitzer, Daniel Svensson and Ethan Nwaneri.
Sabitzer's late strike settles it
With the tie finely balanced, Dortmund won a free kick around 25 yards out when Felix Nmecha was fouled in the third minute of stoppage time. Sabitzer curled his effort inside the near post to make it 3-2, sealing Dortmund's place in the next round.
