Marcel Sabitzer curled a stoppage-time free kick into the top corner to hand Borussia Dortmund a dramatic 3-2 victory over Werder Bremen in the German Cup second round on 27 October, booking their place in the last 16. The win came the hard way — Dortmund surrendered a two-goal lead before Sabitzer's late intervention settled a pulsating tie at Signal Iduna Park.

Dortmund's Lightning Start

Serhou Guirassy broke the deadlock in the 6th minute, finishing from close range after Julian Ryerson redirected Maximilian Beier's delivery into his path. Carney Chukwuemeka doubled the advantage in the 17th minute, converting Jobe Bellingham's layoff with a first-time finish from a Joey Veerman cross. Dortmund dominated the opening half, pressing Bremen high up the pitch, with Guirassy also having a goal ruled out for offside and Felix Nmecha squandering a promising chance.

Fullkrug Haunts Former Club

Bremen struggled to create openings in the first half, but the introduction of Niclas Fullkrug — the former Dortmund striker — from the bench proved decisive. Fullkrug pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 65th minute after Ryerson fouled Mick Schmetgens inside the area. Just four minutes later, Fullkrug completed the comeback, dispossessing Waldemar Anton near halfway before driving home the equaliser to make it 2-2. Mitchell Weiser then threatened to complete a stunning turnaround, but Dortmund steadied themselves in the closing stages.

Sabitzer Saves the Day in Stoppage Time

Amos Pieper blocked Daniel Svensson's effort in the 89th minute before Sabitzer stepped up to curl a free kick into the top corner deep into added time, sparing Dortmund the need for extra time. Dortmund captain Nico Schlotterbeck acknowledged it was far from comfortable: 'We must be relieved in the end. We are happy we managed to avoid extra time.' He added: 'We played a good first half but had some problems afterward. We became nervous after they pulled one back. It was a 50-50 game that we ended up winning.'

Other German Cup Second Round Results

Elsewhere in the second round, Eintracht Frankfurt won 3-1 away to Hamburg, while Cologne thrashed Union Berlin by a commanding 5-0. RB Leipzig edged Rot-Weiss Essen 2-1, Augsburg beat Sonnenhof Grossaspach 4-2, Bochum defeated Mainz 2-0, Borussia Monchengladbach beat Karlsruhe 2-0, and Darmstadt defeated Elversberg 2-0. Dortmund now advance to the third round, where their resolve will be tested further as the competition intensifies.