Wrapped in a thick jacket and with a black headband on his face, Niclas Füllkrug danced with his teammates in front of the Dortmund fans who had traveled with them.
Even without a goal from the national striker on his return to the Weser, BVB celebrated an important victory in the Bundesliga. Despite being outnumbered at halftime, the runner-up won 2-1 (2-0) at Werder Bremen on Saturday evening and successfully defended fourth place in the table.
“It was definitely not an easy game,” said Füllkrug, who was rarely dangerous in his 65 minutes of play, on Sky. Until the red card for Marcel Sabitzer for a serious foul in stoppage time in the first half, we played “as well as we can play here,” said Füllkrug. After that it was mainly about “managing the result, the guys at the back did a top job.”
Dortmund managed to win with skill and a bit of luck and also gained self-confidence for the complicated second leg of the round of 16 in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven with former coach Peter Bosz next Wednesday.
In front of 42,100 spectators in the sold-out Weserstadion, Donyell Malen (21st minute) and Jadon Sancho (38th) scored the goals for the black and yellow. Werder had the advantage to make it 1-2 through Justin Njinmah (70′), but it wasn’t enough for the hosts. “Today you saw who was efficient and who wasn’t,” said Njinmah.
Füllkrug was received with much applause by the Werder supporters and was officially farewelled before the game. The attacker was presented with a Werder jacket and a photo collage with his best scenes in the green and white jersey.
But his former teammates made it difficult for Füllkrug. The goalscorer was hardly able to make an impact against the Werder defense, which Niklas Stark carefully directed on his return after a long injury break. Füllkrug was substituted in the 65th minute.
Even without a noticeable filling jug, Dortmund went into the break with a lead. After Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer was unable to hold on to a fluttering long-range shot from national player Julian Brandt, Malen made it 1-0 with a spectacular side kick.
Shortly before the break, Sancho increased the score to 2-0. This time Füllkrug was even involved. On the counterattack, the attacker passed the ball to Brandt, who served Sancho. The loanee from Manchester United outplayed the 22-year-old Werder newcomer Julian Malatini and shot into the near corner – as with the first goal, Zetterer didn’t look good.
After Sabitzer was sent off, Dortmund limited themselves to managing their lead in the second half. That went well for a while because Bremen had little to do offensively. But 20 minutes before the end, BVB’s passivity took its revenge. Njinmah, who returned to the Weser after a loan from Dortmund before the season, reduced the score to 1:2 and ensured an exciting final phase. But the BVB defense withstood the pressure.
BREMEN (dpa-AFX)
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