Borussia Dortmund surrendered a two-goal advantage in the closing stages as Werder Bremen fought back to secure a 2-2 draw in their Bundesliga clash at Signal Iduna Park on Friday.
Dortmund appeared on course for victory after scoring twice in five minutes through Daniel Svensson and captain Nico Schlotterbeck in the second half.
However, Bremen responded with two late goals to snatch a point from the encounter.
Svensson opened the scoring in the 80th minute after combining with Fábio Silva, who provided the assist for the midfielder to finish a quick attacking move.
Five minutes later, Schlotterbeck doubled the hosts’ advantage with a powerful header from Joey Veerman’s corner kick.
Despite trailing by two goals, Bremen refused to give up and reduced the deficit in the 88th minute.
Oskar Wójcik intercepted the ball high up the pitch before Ludovit Reis fired a low shot into the bottom-left corner to give the visitors renewed hope.
Bremen completed their remarkable comeback in the second minute of stoppage time when Marco Grüll delivered a cross from a set piece for Niclas Füllkrug to head home the equaliser, leaving Dortmund frustrated after surrendering their commanding lead.
Dortmund dominated possession with 72 per cent and registered 21 shots, nine of which were on target, compared with Bremen’s 11 attempts and four on target.
However, the visitors showed greater resilience in the closing stages, with goalkeeper Karl Hein making seven saves to help his side earn a valuable point.
Bremen’s comeback was particularly impressive considering Dortmund’s attacking pressure throughout the match.
The visitors also coped with injuries to Amos Pieper and Youri Regeer, while Reis and Grüll played decisive roles in their late fightback.
