Bundesliga
Liveticker | Schedule | table
Borussia Dortmund missed it, with a home win to conquer the second place in the table of the Bundesliga. BVB drew 2-2 (2-1) away against Werder Bremen and are now seventh in the table with eleven points. League leader is FC Bayern, just ahead of Leipzig and Dortmund arch-rivals FC Schalke. Bremen opened the scoring with a goal from Milot Rashica (7th minute), but Mario Götze (9th) and Marco Reus (41.) scored the first half of the game before the half-time. Marco Friedl equalized (56.) and secured the injured Bremer an important point.
Götze was in the starting line-up of BVB for the first time this season, while coach Lucien Favre had dispensed with striker Paco Alcácer in the Champions League match against Slavia Prague on Wednesday (18.55 hrs DER SPIEGEL). In addition, the battered Mats Hummels and also Raphael Guerreiro and Thomas Delaney were not in the starting eleven.
Favre has had to comment on Götze's situation for weeks. The contract of the world champion of 2014 expires at the end of the season and so far he had only come on in the games against Augsburg and Frankfurt. Whether Götze will continue to stay with BVB is unclear, a contract extension is probably only conceivable from the club's point of view, if Götze is willing to paycheck. Against Bremen was once again clear that Götze is not a classic attacker who lurking only on his chances. He takes part in the game, lets himself fall and has more ball contacts than Alcácer.
SASCHA SCHUERMANN / AFP
The Dortmund goal scorers Marco Reus (l.) And Mario Götze
Dortmund got possession over 70 per cent in the first half, but initially struggled hard. After winning the ball in midfield, Davy Klaassen put a pass to the top for Rashica and the striker returned after injury unsuccessfully hit goalkeeper Roman Bürki with a low shot into the left corner. Werder would have liked to keep this lead longer, but Götze took advantage of his first chance to equalize: Michael Lang was bad at a cross from the half-field of Lukasz Piszczek and so could Götze einköpfen. The 2: 1 fell to a similar pattern, this time flanked Thorgan Hazard, Reus broke away from Christian Groß and again hit the ball in the far corner.
It remains however: The BVB has big problems in the defense of standard situations. Joshua Sargent extended a corner from the former Dortmund player Nuri Sahin and defender Friedl headed home from the second post. Favre joined Julian Brandt and Alcácer, increasing pressure on the Bremen defense. But Werder defended strongly, played courageously forward and had chances to win.
Borussia Dortmund - Werder Bremen 2: 2 (1: 1)
0: 1 Rashica (7th)
1: 1 Götze (9th)
2: 1 Reus (41.)
2: 2 Friedl (56.)
BVB: Bürki - Piszczek, Weigl, Akanji, Hakimi - Dahoud (67th Brandt), Witsel - Sancho (80th Guerreiro), Reus, Hazard - Götze (72nd Alcácer)
Werder: Pavlenka - Gebre Selassie, Grand, Friedl - Sahin - Lang, M. Eggestein, Klaaassen, Bittencourt (82nd J. Eggestein) - Sargent (88th Pizarro), Rashica (73rd Goller)
Referee: Aytekin
Yellow cards: Weigl
Spectators: 81,000