Match Report
Red for Schlotterbeck, great fight – but 2-0 lead turns into 2-2 draw
Boris Rupert reporting
The 81,365 spectators at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK saw BVB initially lose Felix Nmecha to injury (8) and then Nico Schlotterbeck to an early red card (21), before scoring two goals through Serhou Guirassy in the 28th and 51st minutes (the second goal went down as a Marco Friedl own goal). But Bremen took advantage of their numerical superiority and scored through Leonardo Bittencourt (65) and Marvin Ducksch (73) midway through the second half to claim a draw.
The scenario:
This was 10th place (25 points) versus ninth (26). BVB had won 13 of their previous 16 Bundesliga home games against Bremen.
Personnel matters:
Interim boss Mike Tullberg had all the players available except for Niklas Süle. He made four personnel changes compared to the 2-1 defeat in the Champions League on Tuesday evening: captain Emre Can, Ramy Bensebaini, who was suspended for the match in Bologna, Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi started in place of Waldemar Anton, Maximilian Beier, Giovanni Reyna and Julien Duranville (all substitutes).
Tactics:
Tullberg made only minor adjustments and lined up the team – as per usual – in a 4-3-3 formation, but with a new face in the sole holding midfield role: Groß occupied the central position in front of the defence and Nmecha moved one position forward and played alongside Brandt. Werder, in a 5-3-2 formation, withdrew deep off the ball and mostly pressed only from the halfway line. Once down a man (from the 21st minute onwards), the Black & Yellows played in a 4-2-3 formation with Groß, Can, Bensebaini and Ryerson in defence, Sabitzer and Brandt in midfield, and Adeyemi, Guirassy and Gittens in attack.
The match & analysis:
BVB applied pressure from the outset, but were not initially able to cause problems for the Bremen defence and were forced into an early substitution when Nmecha hobbled off the pitch following a challenge with Grüll (8). Ryerson was also booked in the 10th minute and subsequently had to exercise greater caution. The Black & Yellows did actually find themselves down a player shortly afterwards. Veljkovics played the ball towards the halfway line and Schmid fed Grüll, who escaped from Schlotterbeck. There was a minor push 10 metres outside the box and the Bremen player went down, prompting referee Dingert to show Schlotterbeck the red card without hesitation (21).
BVB opened the scoring seven minutes later. Gittens broke through down the left and cut inside but could not find a way through and played the ball back to the flank. Ryerson crossed towards the back post, Brandt played it back across goal and Guirassy headed over the line (28). Dortmund continued to control the game even with 10 men, only allowing Werder one shot at goal in the first half and repeatedly looking to get forward themselves.
Despite their numerical inferiority, the Black & Yellows covered similar ground (55.3 vs. 55.6 kilometres by half-time), boasted a strong challenge win rate (58%) and continued to look defensively solid at the start of the second half with a strong display from captain Emre Can at the heart of defence. A foul on Gittens in the 51st minute led to a free-kick halfway into the Bremen half: Groß delicately played the ball towards the centre-right of the Bremen box, Guirassy drilled it into the middle, Bensebaini jumped and the under-pressure Friedl deflected the ball into his own net. It probably would have gone in anyway but the DFL still classified it officially as an own goal.
Brandt tested Zetterer with a long-range effort (59). And up until the 65th minute, it did not look as though Borussia would be troubled despite their numerical inferiority. But then former Dortmund player Bittencourt came off the bench and brought SV Werder back into it with a stunning strike from 20 metres out. Kobel had no chance against the 100km/h rocket, which flew into the top right corner from the goalie's perspective. Bremen had made it 2-1 with their very first chance. Only seven minutes later, Kaboré cut inside from the left flank. Ducksch played the ball out of the box, Stage threaded it back through into his path and Ducksch got the better of Kobel to equalise at 2-2.
The Black & Yellows played with a five-man rearguard for the final quarter of an hour after Anton had come on to replace Brandt, with Bremen now pressing for a third goal and leading the shot count at 8-4. But BVB almost won the game themselves: Groß delivered a free-kick into the danger zone, Zetterer struggled to deal with it and Beier followed up from 17 metres, only for Zetterer to stop it going to 3-2 (90). At the other end, Kobel saved with his foot and Beier turned behind for a corner (90+2).
Outlook:
BVB will play host to Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (21:00 CET), before paying a visit to 1. FC Heidenheim in the Bundesliga next Saturday (15:30 CET).
Teams & goals
Bundesliga Matchday 19
Saturday 25 January 2025, 15:30 CET
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-2 (1-0) WERDER BREMEN
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Groß – Brandt (Anton, 77), Nmecha (Sabitzer, 12) – Adeyemi (Duranville, 61), Guirassy, Gittens (Beier, 61)
Werder Bremen: Zetterer – Veljkovic, Friedl, Jung – Weiser, Lynen (Bittencourt, 60), Köhn (Kaboré, 60) – Stage, Schmid – Grüll (Njinmah, 60), Ducksch (Burke, 87)
Substitutes: Meyer, Couto, Reyna, Campbell, Wätjen – Backhaus, Pieper, Alvero, Covic
Goals: 1-0 Guirassy (Brandt, 28), 1-0 Guirassy (Groß, 51), 2-1 Bittencourt (Veljkovic, 65), 2-2 Ducksch (Stage, 72)
Corners: 5-5 (3-1 at half-time), chance ratio: 4-3 (1-0)
Referee: Dingert (Lebecksmühle), red card: Schlotterbeck (professional foul, 21), yellow cards: Ryerson – Bittencourt, Njinmah, Stage, Friedl
Attendance: 81,365 (sold-out), weather: rainy, 8 degrees