Borussia Dortmund, the current Bundesliga leader, is set to host SV Werder Bremen this Friday in a highly anticipated league fixture. Werder Bremen faces a challenging away game against the top-ranked side, but a look back at their history offers promising precedents for the visiting team.
Ahead of the difficult encounter, scheduled for 20:30 local time on Friday, the German outlet DeichStube has recalled several spectacular past victories for Werder Bremen at Dortmund’s home ground. While sportschau.de noted Werder’s Niclas Füllkrug’s eagerness for this reunion, much of the focus will be on whether Werder can once again defy expectations against the league leaders.
Historic Comeback in the 2022/23 Season
The most recent victory for Werder Bremen against Borussia Dortmund is described by DeichStube as one of the most remarkable comebacks in Bundesliga history. During the 2022/23 season, Edin Terzić’s Dortmund team had made a perfect start to their campaign, securing wins against Leverkusen (1:0) and Freiburg (3:1). Werder, newly promoted and coached by Ole Werner, had also shown promising form, drawing their opening matches against Wolfsburg (2:2) and Stuttgart (2:2).
In that memorable match, Dortmund took a 1:0 lead just before half-time through Julian Brandt. Raphaël Guerreiro then extended their advantage to 2:0 in the 77th minute. Dortmund almost sealed a decisive 3:0 lead when Thorgan Hazard’s shot struck the post. However, what followed was an extraordinary recovery by Werder, who scored three goals in quick succession.
Substitute Lee Buchanan initiated the comeback, bringing the score to 2:1. In the 93rd minute, another substitute, Niklas Schmidt, headed in a cross from Amos Pieper to equalize. The dramatic turn was completed in the 95th minute when Oliver Burke, also introduced from the bench, secured a stunning 3:2 victory after receiving a perfectly timed pass from Mitchell Weiser. All three of Werder’s goal-scorers came on as substitutes in the second half.
Previous Upsets and Tactical Shifts
Prior to this dramatic encounter, Werder Bremen’s penultimate victory in Dortmund had also been noteworthy. At the time, Werder was positioned second-to-last in the league standings and had suffered ten consecutive away losses against BVB. Despite these odds, Werder, under the guidance of coach Florian Kohfeldt, was experiencing an upturn in form. Conversely, Dortmund, then coached by Peter Bosz, had stumbled after a strong start to the season, dropping to eighth place in the table.
In that match, Werder’s Max Kruse, celebrating his 200th Bundesliga appearance, provided the assist for Maximilian Eggestein’s opening goal in the 26th minute. Although Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalized for BVB in the 57th minute, Werder quickly regained the lead with a goal from Theodor Gebre Selassie in the 65th minute. Following this defeat, BVB coach Peter Bosz was dismissed, while Kohfeldt successfully steered Werder to an 11th-place finish by the season’s end.
These historical Bundesliga encounters, marked by dramatic comebacks and surprising upsets, underscore the unpredictable nature of top-tier football. For an international readership, such events highlight the intense competition and passionate fan engagement that characterize leagues like the Bundesliga. They demonstrate how past results, even from decades ago, continue to shape narratives and expectations, adding layers of excitement and emotional investment for global sports enthusiasts.
Recalling an even earlier victory from ‘the last millennium,’ Werder Bremen also defeated a league-leading BVB, then coached by Michael Skibbe, when Werder was struggling at 13th in the table. On that occasion, Andreas Herzog put Werder ahead in the fourth minute, and Marco Bode doubled the lead before halftime. Lars Ricken scored for BVB in the 57th minute. Werder’s effective, then-modern flexible four-back defensive tactics were a key factor in their success, with the Kicker magazine reporting that BVB ‘lacked any order’ and couldn’t cope with Werder’s positional changes.
As Borussia Dortmund prepares to face Werder Bremen once more, the visiting side will undoubtedly seek inspiration from these historic triumphs. The upcoming match promises to be another compelling display of endurance and strategy, with football fans eagerly anticipating whether Werder can again challenge the odds against the current league leaders.
Image: sportschau.de
Sources consulted
- sportschau.de: Freitagabendspiel in der Bundesliga: Werders Füllkrug heiß auf Wiedersehen mit BVB
- Kicker: Wer überträgt Borussia Dortmund gegen SV Werder Bremen live im TV und Stream?
- Die DeichStube: Irre Aufholjagd und ein Sieg beim Tabellenführer: Werder blickt auf mehrere spektakuläre Erfolge beim BVB zurück
Bruno Kadez is a sports writer focused on performance, competition, and athlete insights. He covers major sporting events, player analysis, and trending stories across leagues. His reporting captures both the data and the emotion behind the game.
