Dortmund squander lead to spirited Bremen

Borussia Dortmund 2 - 2 Werder Bremen
(Götze 9', Reus 41' - Rashica 7', Friedl 55') 

After a week where a 2-2 draw led to plenty of discussion about Borussia Dortmund's mentality, comes a 2-2 draw where similar questions will be asked.

After a powerful strike on the bounce from the excellent Milot Rashica had given the injury-hit visitors an early lead against the run of play, Mario Götze responded almost instantly, heading in Lukasz Piszczek's cross at the back post.

Dortmund then took control of the game and when Marco Reus buried a powerful header just before the break, they looked set to slot in behind Bayern Munich in the top two spots.

But a weakness in defending set pieces cost them once again as Marco Friedl, on loan from Bayern, stooped low to head in Josh Sargent's flick on from a corner. Friedl was one of three Bremen players free at the back post.

Lucien Favre threw on Julian Brandt and Paco Alcacer in a late bid to change the game but, despite some bright moments, neither side could find a winner.

As it happened

FULL TIME: That's it. A second successive 2-2 draw in the Bundesliga for Dortmund in a thoroughly entertaining game.

90+2 - Chance!
Brilliant play by Brandt down the left. He whips it in at full pace across the box and Alcacer sticks out a boot. But it flies over. A difficult one to control, that.

90+1 - Dortmund work the ball side to side just outside the box and Pavlenka puches out Witsel's cross for a corner. But Hazard's delivery is not up to much.

89' - Goller's shot is deflected off Piszczek and, just for a second, Bürki thinks it's dropping in. But it lands just wide of the post and Dortmund scramble the corner clear.

88' - Pizarro, who is 41 on Thursday, replaces Sargent. Surely not...

87' - Favre is out on the touchline and looking a little frazzled and frustrated, as well he might. Bremen have looked as likely as their hosts.

85' - Chance for Bremen!
Sargent almost nicks it for the visitors. The American almost got on the end of a ball in from the left but Bürki sniffed the danger and got there first, palming it away.

81' - Another change for Bremen. Bittencourt strolls slowly off to be replaced by Johannes Eggestein. Looks an effort to keep it tight from the visitors, which is fair enough.

80' - Brandt sets Reus away down the right and he bends one round the defenders with more whip than a seaside ice cream van. But it's just too far ahead of Alcacer. Guerreiro, somewhat surprisingly, replaces Sancho. 

78' - Down the other end now and Pavlenka does well to push away a deflected effort from Hazard from the edge of the box. Brandt's effort on the rebound trickles behind after striking Reus.

77' - Sloppy stuff form Dortmund, with Piszczek, Brandt and Weigl all slow to react to a developing move on the right. That one breaks down but soon after Sargent has a pot shot saved by Bürki.

75' - Bürki is out quickly to deny Sargent but the American was well offside.

74' - Inches away!
Almost an immediate impact from the Spaniard. Sancho curls in a ball from the left wing in that corridor between defenders and keeper but Alcacer just can't sort his feet out to get a toe to it. That's about all it needed.

73' - Here's Alcacer, who loves a goal from the bench. He replaces Götze. Rashica, who was excellent, is also done on his return from injury. Goller comes on for him.

70' - Close for Dortmund!
Hakimi drives in from the left and fires an effort from the edge of the box with his right foot but Pavlenka gets down brilliantly to push it out. The save only goes as far as Hazard, whose follow up is well blocked by Friedl. 

67' - Brandt is on for Dahoud. Favre looking to the former Leverkusen man to add a bit of creativity. Seconds after that, Weigl is drawn out towards Rashica and is late sliding in on the Kosovan. He's the first to be booked. No complaints there.

66' - Brandt is getting instructions on the touchline but there's been no sign of Alcacer coming on just yet.

64' - Lovely from Sancho, who stands up his man on the left and gets the cross in. It's cleared out to the right where Dortmund throw it back in to Götze in the center of the box but his header is weak and straight at the keeper.

62' - Now Witsel gives it away and Bremen look to break through Rashica after he skins the Belgian. Sargent has made a decent run but his teammates' pass hits him in the back and the move breaks down. danger signs for Dortmund.

60' - Witsel whips a dangerous ball across the six yard box from the right hand side but no-one in a yellow shirt anticipates it and Pavlenka gathers.

59' - Reus hits the freekick, from wide on the right, straight out of play. 

58' - What have Dortmund got now? This half has been both even and open, Bremen certainly look to have more belief. I suspect we'll see Alcacer soon. For now Dortmund have a freekick in a decent area.

55' - Borussia Dortmund 2 - 2 Werder Bremen (Friedl 55')
Well, well. Marco Friedl, on loan from Bayern Munich, stoops to nod in josh Sargent's flick on at the back post and level things up. The goal came from a corner after a brilliant saving tackle from Piszczek had gone out for a corner. Dortmund may feel there was an offside in the build up but they really switched off there.

54' - Sancho lifts in a corner form the right but just floats it straight in to Pavlenka's arms. It had also gone out of play. Not his best moment.

51' - Chance at both ends
Rashica, the most dangerous man in green all game, gets free in the middle of Dortmund's third. He pings a ball out to Lang, who has got round the back of Hakimi. The right back tries to cut it back but Bürki flicks it out back to Rashica, whose follow up shot is blocked by Piszczek. At the other end, Hakimi is almost through in a similar position but his touch lets him down.

49' - Piszczek and Sancho combine well down the right before the Englishman cuts it back to Witsel but a defender is quickly out to close down his space and the shot is blocked.

48' - A fairly sedate and slightly scrappy opening to the half. Dortmund starting to get a foot on the ball though.

46' - We're off again! 

Half time: A deserved lead for Dortmund at the break but not one without caveats. Headers from Mario Götze, on his first league start of the season, and Marco Reus have given them a largely deserved lead but Milot Rashica's early goal and later chance are proof that a one goal lead may not be enough.

45+1 - Bittencourt has a crack from the edge of the box but a deflection takes the sting off and it's a simple task for Bürki. And that's half time.

45' - Save!
Götze finds a cute little angle to slip in Dahoud in the box. The midfielder's effort lacks a bit of conviction but still need a smart stop from Pavlenka. They nearly had that cushion.

44' - That was a nicely taken goal and reward for a patient display after falling behind. Dortmund still sense another before the break.

41' Goal! Borussia Dortmund 2 - 1 Werder Bremen (Reus)
What was that about Reus being anonymous? Hazard finds the same space on the edge of the box but this time whips in a cross. The Dortmund captain nips ahead of his marker and plants a brilliant header across goal, past Pavlenka's right hand and in to the far corner.

38' - Hazard lets fly again from the edge of the box. This one is even further over. The home side haven't found space between the lines yet, Reus has been anonymous.

35' - Piszczek pops up in the middle of the pitch and tries to slalom his way in to the box but he's eventually crowded out. Bremen are sitting pretty deep now.

32' - Chance for Bremen!
Dortmund's domination of the ball isn't bringing them much in the way of chances and it's Bremen who go close. The hosts give the ball away in midfield and Sargent has some space. BVB should have enough back but allow him to chip a ball in to Rashica who forces Bürki in to a decent stop at his near post.

29' - Hazard works himself a yard of space just outside the box. He strikes it relatively well but can't keep it down.

27' - Bremen are trying to press high and getting frustrated here. First Gross then Rashica absolutely fly in to tackles in the Dortmund half. Somehow, neither is booked.

24' - Sancho jinks his way down the right hand side and flicks a pass to Piszczek on his outside. But the Polish fullback's cross is deflected in to Pavlenka's arms. The Bremen keeper gives it straight back to Dortmund and we go again.

21' - Bremen cannot get out of their half here. It feels a matter of time before Dortmund get a second.

18' - Penalty claim!
Reus goes down in the box after a swift one-two and wants a penalty but the ref is having none of it, certainly didn't look like much. In the aftermath, the ball falls to Sancho on the edge of the box. He takes a lovely touch and has a pop but Pavlenka tips it round the post. The corner comes to nothing.

16' - The home side look firmly in control now, Bremen are hardly getting a touch as Dortmund work it round the midfield.

13' - Good work form Hazard down the left, who jinks past his man and then shifts it left to Hakimi. But he's playing on the wrong side and his right footed cross is straight in to the keeper's arms.

9' - Goal! Borussia Dortmund 1 - 1 Werder Bremen (Götze)

Bremen's lead lasted about 90 seconds and it's a header from one of the smallest men on the pitch. The ball is worked to Piszczek on Dortmund's right flank. He lifts in a deep cross, Lang misjudges it and Götze nods in at Pavlenka's near post. What a start!

7' - Goal! Borussia Dortmund 0 - 1 Werder Bremen (Rashica)

This is a great goal but Witsel has to take some blame. The Belgian bottled a tackle with Klaasen and the Dutchman got the sand wedge out to loft a lovely ball through to Rashica. The returning Kosovan took a marvellous first touch and then lashed it in on the bounce.

5' - Götze drops back in to midfield and makes a smart interception. The hosts then keep the ball for a while before Sancho's cross flies out of play.

2' - Good start from Dortmund as Klaasen is forced in to blocking Dahoud's shot at the edge of the box. Hazard's corner is headed behind by Piszczek

1' - We're off!

18:29 - The players are shaking hands, the tracksuit tops are coming off and the songs are being belted out. We're almost ready to go.

18:25 - Just five minutes until kick off now, enough time to catch up on what happened elsewhere today with our gallery.

18:19 - Bremen have won just once in their last 12 league visits to the Westfalenstadion, in 2017, but did beat their hosts in the last eight of the German Cup last season, albeit on penalties. It'll be some shock if they can walk away with three points today.

18:15 - Hello, and welcome to the final game of this Bundesliga Saturday. And it's a big one, for Dortmund in particular. All the talk this week has been about their mentality, much to Marco Reus's annoyance but now all eyes are on the pitch.

Lucien Favre brings in Mario Götze and omits Paco Alcacer, the club's leading scorer. Julian Weigl also gets the nod a center back in place of Mats Hummels while Lukasz Piszczek returns from injury, meaning Achraf Hakimi will shift to the left. The visitors have a lengthy injury list but do have the talented Milot Rashica back in the starting XI while Nuri Sahin starts against his old club.