Sabitzer rescues Dortmund

Serhou Guirassy scored the opener, but Dortmund needed Marcel Sabitzer’s late intervention to settle the tie. Borussia Dortmund beat Werder Bremen 3-2 at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday 27 October to reach the German Cup’s last sixteen. Bremen had recovered from 2-0 down through a double from Niclas Füllkrug before Sabitzer’s decisive stoppage-time free-kick.

Serhou Guirassy put Dortmund ahead in the sixth minute. Felix Nmecha drove the move forward before finding Maximilian Beier on the left. The delivery into the area, helped on by Julian Ryerson, allowed the Guinea striker to finish from close range. Dortmund had turned a quick attack into an early advantage.

The hosts doubled their lead in the 17th minute. Joey Veerman’s ball into the area was headed back by Jobe Bellingham for Carney Chukwuemeka to finish. With a 2-0 lead before the twentieth minute, Dortmund had established control of the scoreline. Qualification, however, was still a long way from being settled.

Introduced in the second half, Niclas Füllkrug brought Bremen back into the contest. He converted a 65th-minute penalty after Ryerson fouled Mick Schmetgens. Dortmund had not found a third goal to put the tie beyond the visitors, and the penalty gave Werder a route back.

Three minutes later, Füllkrug struck again, this time with a shot from outside the penalty area. His double cancelled out the goals from Guirassy and Chukwuemeka. Dortmund now needed another goal to avoid extra time, while Bremen could once again believe in reaching the next round.

Niko Kovač had introduced Marcel Sabitzer during the second half. The Austrian midfielder supplied the decisive moment in the third minute of stoppage time, restoring Dortmund’s lead with a direct free-kick. This time there was no further Bremen comeback.

The 3-2 result reflected both sides of Dortmund’s evening. They scored early and found a late answer, but also allowed opponents who had trailed by two goals back into the match. Sabitzer’s finish prevented Bremen’s recovery from taking the tie into another thirty minutes of football.

Guirassy’s goal gave Dortmund the opening breakthrough and kept the Guinea forward central to their attacking story. It did not settle the match on its own, but it remained the first step towards qualification. He later made way for Fábio Silva towards the end of the contest.

Defender Joane Gadou also started, alongside Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck. Dortmund’s passage was therefore about more than the final free-kick: they built a lead, faced Füllkrug’s response and eventually found the winner through a substitute.

Dortmund remain in the DFB-Pokal, while Bremen leave the competition despite a comeback that kept the outcome uncertain until the closing moments. Kovač’s team can take satisfaction from progressing, with a clear issue still to address: protecting an advantage when opponents regain momentum.

Their next major assignment is the Bundesliga trip to Bayern Munich on Saturday 31 October. Before that Klassiker, Dortmund avoid extra time and retain the chance to progress further in the cup. Explore the Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen team pages, alongside our preview of the tie.