"All's well that ends well" - Kovac laments BVB's second-half slip-up in Bremen win
Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac was disappointed to see his side lose a 2-0 advantage once again to Werder Bremen in their DFB-Pokal second-round clash.
Serhou Guirassy and Carney Chukwuemeka scored a goal apiece inside the opening 20 minutes as the BVB were on their way to the Round of 16 of the competition.
However, Niclas Fullkrug came off the bench to score twice in a space of three minutes after the hour mark to blow the contest wide open.
It was quite identical to Dortmund and Bremen's 2-2 draw in the Bundesliga on 9 October, where two late goals had seen the home side go two-nil up, only for the visitors to strike in the 88th and 92nd minute to wipe out their advantage.
Kovac lambasted his side for 'going off the rails' in the second half, especially after Chukwuemeka missed a glorious chance to make it 3-0 in the 56th minute following a lovely combination play with Serhou Guirassy.
Speaking to the press after the game, he said:
To be honest, after being up 2-0 at the half, I didn't like how things went off the rails. We should have sealed the game in the first half. And after [Carney Chukwuemeka's] chance in the second half, we just needed to see it through.
In the 65th minute, Julian Ryerson committed a foul inside the box which led to a penalty for Bremen and Fullkrug made no mistake, sending it low into the right corner.
Another three minutes later, the former BVB forward came back to haunt his old colleagues, driving through gaps in Dortmund's midfield before unleashing a powerful shot into the net for 2-2.
Having equalized in stoppage-time of their league clash a few weeks ago, Fullkrug served Kovac's side a deja vu by spoiling their celebrations yet again. Reflecting on this, he further said:
We failed to do so, and then it turned into a wild match. That’s not how I picture things going. We were way too open. Bremen managed to break through the middle four or five times. Tactically, we didn't do a good job. With that said, all’s well that ends well.
Dortmund were handed a lifeline in the 93rd minute when Nmecha won a free-kick on the edge of the box and Sabitzer, who had come off the bench in the second half, curled a peach of a strike into the near post to win it at the death.
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