Borussia Dortmund prepared for their Europa League showdown with Liverpool with a 3-2 victory at home to Werder Bremen on Saturday.
With table-toppers Bayern Munich beating Frankfurt 1-0 earlier in the day, Thomas Tuchel’s side knew that victory was imperative, in order to stay five points adrift in the Bundesliga title race.
Dortmund were without both Neven Subotic and Ilkay Gundogan, both of whom will miss Thursday’s first-leg against the Reds. The former is out for the remainder of the season.
Following a fairly forgettable opening 45 minutes at the magnificent Signal Iduna Park, the match came alive after the interval.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one of the world’s most in-form strikers this season, gave the hosts the lead shortly after half-time.
The Gabon international finished clinically from Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s pass, registering his 23rd league goal of 2015/16, and 36th in all competitions.
Gonzalo Castro’s unfortunate own goal soon levelled matters, however, before Bremen midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic’s goal stunned the home fans with 16 minutes remaining.
With their title dreams appearing to be in tatters, Tuchel’s men rallied in the closing stages, turning the game on its head in dramatic fashion.
Former Man United flop Shinji Kagawa finished off an eye-catching team move to make it 2-2 moments after Junuzovic’s strike, before substitute Adrian Ramos made himself a hero.
The Colombian netted the winner with 82 minutes on the clock, just two minutes after entering the fray, and Dortmund held on to clinch three valuable points.
Bayern are still the overriding favourites to win yet another Bundesliga crown, but BVB are showing no sign of going away just yet.
Next up for Dortmund is Liverpool, in what promises to be a magnificent occasion on Jurgen Klopp‘s return to the club.
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