Werder Bremen have spent four years carrying around the memory of six extraordinary minutes at Signal Iduna Park. On Friday night, they came remarkably close to doing it again. Borussia Dortmund led 2-0 after 85 minutes and appeared destined to preserve their perfect Bundesliga start. Ludovit Reis pulled one back three minutes later. Niclas Füllkrug then rose in stoppage time to head home the equaliser against his former club.
Another late Werder comeback in Dortmund. Another 2-0 lead gone. For those who remember August 20th, 2022, the parallels were impossible to miss.
The original remains unmatched. Newly-promoted Werder arrived at Signal Iduna Park on Matchday 3 of the 2022/23 campaign and produced one of the most extraordinary endings in Bundesliga history. Julian Brandt gave Dortmund the lead with practically the final action of the first half. Raphaël Guerreiro doubled the advantage in the 77th minute.
At 2-0 with the clock approaching 89 minutes, the contest appeared finished.
Lee Buchanan disagreed. The Werder substitute produced an exceptional outside-of-the-boot finish in the 89th minute. Niklas Schmidt headed home the equaliser at 90+3. Two minutes later, Mitchell Weiser released Oliver Burke and the Scottish striker completed the 3-2 comeback.
All three goals came from substitutes. More significantly, Werder became the first team in Bundesliga history to win a match after still trailing by two goals in the 89th minute. Niclas Füllkrug occupied a rather different role in that story.
The then 29-year-old started alongside Marvin Ducksch and had several opportunities to score himself. Nico Schlotterbeck intervened repeatedly to deny him as Werder’s two centre-forwards helped occupy Dortmund’s defensive line. Füllkrug never found the net.
He nevertheless stood on the pitch when Buchanan began the comeback and remained there as Schmidt and Burke completed it. Füllkrug finished that 2022/23 season as the Bundesliga’s joint-leading goalscorer, earned his Germany debut and eventually left Bremen for Dortmund.
His sole season in black-and-yellow proved mixed domestically but included a run to the Champions League final. Moves to West Ham United and later AC Milan then took his remarkable late-career momentum away from Germany.
Get German Football News noted before Friday’s return to Dortmund that Füllkrug had already scored in three consecutive Bundesliga matches. Werder trainer Daniel Thioune even joked that the striker had never managed four in succession or scored against Borussia Dortmund throughout his long career in German football. Challenge accepted. Dortmund initially appeared poised to deny him.
Daniel Svensson finally broke Bremen’s resistance in the 80th minute before Nico Schlotterbeck headed home a second only five minutes later. Then came Reis. Then came Füllkrug.
Four consecutive Bundesliga matches with a goal for the first time in his career. His first career goal against Borussia Dortmund. Füllkrug got to make the history this time rather than just participate in it.
“Maybe it was a little unfortunate for BVB: 8:30 p.m., Signal Iduna Park — that’s when Champions League Fülle comes out,” Füllkrug joked afterwards.
“I scored the goal for us and not against them,” he added, stressing that the reaction was not intended as provocation. “That’s important. I still like BVB very, very much and still watch a lot of their games.”
Thioune had already placed enormous responsibility on Füllkrug following his return.
“He is an X-factor, our most important player,” the Werder coach told Sky Germany after the match.
Füllkrug has now scored four times in five Bundesliga appearances since returning. The comparison with last season is particularly stark. Werder’s centre-forwards Jovan Milosevic, Keke Topp, Salim Musah and Victor Boniface combined for only five league goals across the entire 2025/26 campaign.
Füllkrug is already one short of matching that total himself.
