Werder earn a point in Dortmund after strong second-half performance | OneFootball

Werder scored twice after the break to take home a point from Dortmund (Photo: nordphoto).

Match report following 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund

SV Werder Bremen's wait for their first win of 2025 continues, after a 2-2 draw away at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday afternoon. The Green-Whites found themselves trailing 2-0 in front of a sold-out crowd at the Signal Iduna Park, despite an early red card to BVB's Nico Schlotterbeck (21'). Serhou Guirassy (28') opened the scoring before an own goal from Marco Friedl (51') doubled BVB's lead. Leonardo Bittencourt (65') and Marvin Ducksch (72') then got the Green-Whites back on level footing.

Line-up and formation: In addition to Keke Topp (syndesmosis ligament tear and Felix Agu (working his way back to full fitness still after an ankle injury), head coach Ole Werner was also without Niklas Stark (ill) and Julian Malatini (muscular problems) in Dortmund. Senne Lynen was able to return after serving his yellow-card suspension and replaced Leonardo Bittencourt in the starting line-up, with Milos Veljkovic coming in for Stark.

Starting line-up: Zetterer - Jung, Stage, Ducksch, Weiser, Veljkovic, Lynen, Grüll, Köhn, Schmid and Friedl.

Subs: Backhaus - Pieper, Bittencourt, Njinmah, Burke, Alvero, Kaboré and Covic.

A man up, but a goal down at the break

Schlotterbeck was sent off mid-way through the first half for a professional foul on Grüll (Photo: WERDER.DE).

First-half highlights:

21st minute: Dortmund are down to ten men! Schmid sends Grüll through with a line-breaking pass, with Nico Schlotterbeck in pursuit. The defender then causes Grüll to stumble after giving him a light shove from behind, as referee Christian Dingert immediately reaches for the red card.

28th minute: Dortmund take the lead. Ryerson delivers a cross to the far post, where Brandt meets it with an outstretched foot and redirects it to the centre of the box. Guirassy is able to get a head to it, as the ball crashes off the underside of the crossbar and over the line.

45th minute +4: Half time. Despite finding themselves a man up, Werder have struggled to make the most of their advantage. Dortmund have been able to pose a threat on the break.

Bittencourt scores a stunner, Ducksch equalises

Bittencourt's stunning strike put Werder back in the game (Photo: WERDER.DE).

Second-half highlights:

51st minute: A second for BVB. Sabitzer chips a pass to the far post, where Guirassy has been left with acres of space. The striker places a shot across the face of goal, which is accidentally turned in by Friedl.

65th minute: What a strike from Leo Bittencourt! The midfielder takes aim from 20 meters out and powers a beautiful shot into the top corner to cut the deficit in half.

72nd minute: There's the equaliser! Kaboré does well to get the ball up the pitch, before losing possession. The ball is quickly won back by Ducksch, and ends up at Stage's feet. He can't find a free space to get off a shot, so the Dane elects to instead play a clever pass through the defence to Ducksch. Our number 7 is in the perfect position to slot the ball past Kobel.

90th minute: Another good chance for BVB late on. Groß delivers a free kick that's punched away by Zetterer, who then has to get back up quickly in order to parry away the rebound just seconds later.

90th minute +2: So close to a winner! Kaboré once again drives down the left flank, before getting the ball across to Bittencourt. His shot is saved by Kobel, with the rebound falling to Stage at the penalty spot. His shot is blocked by one of several BVB players standing in front of the goal mouth.

90th minute +5: Full time. The points are shared in Dortmund. Next up, Werder will host 1. FSV Mainz 05 on Friday, 31st January (20:30 CET).

Summary: BVB enjoyed more possession at the start of the game, but this changed following Schlotterbeck's early red card. The Green-Whites were unable to make the most of their man advantage during this time, however, and found themselves trailing 2-0. After the change of ends, the introduction of fresh legs helped usher in a more lively phase for the visitors, who saw their efforts rewarded with two goals.

Match statistics

Borussia Dortmund: Kobel - Ryerson, Can, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini - Groß, Nmecha (12' Sabitzer) - Adeyemi (61' Duranville), Brandt (77' Anton), Gittens (61' Beier) - Guirassy

SV Werder: Zetterer - Veljkovic, Friedl, Jung - Weiser, Lynen (60' Bittencourt), Köhn (60' Kaboré) - Schmid, Stage - Grüll (60' Njinmah), Ducksch (87' Burke)

Goals: 1-0 Guirassy (28'), 2-0 Friedl (51', OG), 2-1 Bittencourt (65'), 2-2 Ducksch (72')

Red card: Schlotterbeck (21', professional foul)

Referee: Christian Dingert

Spectators: 81,365 (sold out)