“After going up two-zero, we went away from our game plan. And to be honest, we didn’t defend well anymore. We were committing fouls because we got there too late. That’s beyond frustrating,” Borussia Dortmund star Waldemar Anton stated after his side surrendered a commanding two-goal advantage late in the match.
Borussia Dortmund let slip a 2-0 lead after 88 minutes on Friday, settling for a 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga at the Westfalonstadion. Despite maintaining the lion’s share of possession and dictating territory throughout the fixture, Niko Kovac’s side suffered a stunning collapse in the dying embers of the encounter, allowing the River Islanders to claw back a point through goals from Ludovit Reis and Niclas Fullkrug.
For long stretches, the match played out in Dortmund’s favor, though breaking down the Bremen defense proved stubborn work. The deadlock was finally broken in the 80th minute when Daniel Svensson slammed home a lovely team break. Just five minutes later, the Prussians doubled their lead when Nico Schlotterbeck rose highest to meet a corner kick delivered by Joey Veerman, seemingly putting the match out of reach.
Late Collapse Stuns the Westfalonstadion
What followed next left the home crowd in disbelief as Bremen struck twice within a frantic four-minute window. A pass from Schlotterbeck was intercepted by Reis, who drove forward before unleashing a long-range effort past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1. The Dutchman then sprinted forward before attempting a shot from outside the box for 2-1.
In the second minute of added time, Bremen won a free-kick in a good range. Fullkrug caught the Dortmund defense napping, racing clear to head the ball beyond Gregor Kobel and secure a dramatic equalizer. Anton, who logged a full appearance on the pitch, pointed directly to defensive sloppyness and a departure from tactical discipline as the root cause of the breakdown.
“The draw was unnecessary because we really had the game under control. In the end, we only came away with one point. Now, it’s about working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Anton added.
Bundesliga Standings and Upcoming Fixtures
The dropped points carry immediate implications for the upper echelon of the Bundesliga table. Having squandered a chance to secure their fifth consecutive victory, Dortmund slipped to second place, leapfrogged by Freiburg on goal difference.
However, BVB avoided immediate punishment from their arch-rivals. Bayern Munich also stumbled the following day, playing to a 2-2 draw away against Augsburg. The reigning champions currently trail the BVB by two points.
With domestic matters temporarily paused, Borussia Dortmund turns its attention to European competition, traveling to face Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League tomorrow.
