Füllkrug Rescues Werder Bremen With Late Equalizer at Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund surrendered a two-goal advantage to draw 2-2 with Werder Bremen at a sold-out Signal Iduna Park on Friday, October 9, 2026, as former Dortmund striker Niclas Füllkrug scored an injury-time equalizer in the Bundesliga's fifth round. The result ended Dortmund's four-match winning streak and left the league leaders at risk of losing first place. According to match reports from Bild and Welt, Daniel Svensson put Dortmund ahead in the 80th minute before Nico Schlotterbeck doubled the lead in the 85th.

Ludovit Reis reduced the deficit in the 88th minute, and Füllkrug completed Bremen's comeback in the 90th minute plus two. The draw marked Dortmund's first dropped points of the season after four consecutive victories. The result also gave Bayern Munich an opportunity to overtake Dortmund with a win against Augsburg on Saturday.

Dortmund controlled much of the first half but struggled to create clear scoring opportunities against Bremen's deep defensive setup. Neither side registered a shot on target during the opening half-hour, according to Welt.

Bremen threatened first through Reis, whose low effort in the 37th minute narrowly missed the target. Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer responded with a free kick from approximately 30 meters that went just wide, before Bremen goalkeeper Karl Hein denied Maximilian Beier in the 43rd minute. Hein continued to frustrate Dortmund after the break, making further saves against Schlotterbeck and Ethan Nwaneri. In the 54th minute, Füllkrug nearly put Bremen ahead, but Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel stopped the former Dortmund forward's close-range effort with his foot.

Nwaneri appeared to give Dortmund the lead in the 62nd minute with an acrobatic overhead kick following a corner. However, referee Christian Dingert disallowed the goal for a foul by Schlotterbeck, according to Welt's match report. Dortmund eventually broke through when Beier won possession and helped create the opening for Svensson, who finished in the 80th minute. Schlotterbeck then headed home five minutes later to put the hosts 2-0 ahead and seemingly secure the victory.

Reis reignited Bremen's hopes with his 88th-minute goal. The visitors pressed on, and Füllkrug struck deep into stoppage time during his first return to Dortmund since leaving the club, completing the comeback and denying his former team a fifth consecutive league win. Bremen entered the match following a 7-0 defeat against Dutch side Twente during the international break.

Despite that setback, the team recovered to claim a point and continued the positive league form it had shown before the break, having collected seven points from its previous three league matches. Dortmund now faces a demanding October schedule, with six additional fixtures across the Bundesliga, Champions League and German Cup still to come during the month. Its European campaign includes trips to Azerbaijan and Norway, according to Welt.