Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fired Borussia
Dortmund into the Champions League group stages
with the winning goal in a dramatic 4-3 victory
over Werder Bremen at Signal-Iduna Park.
The Gabonese striker netted his second goal of the
game and his 31st of the season - making him the
Bundesliga's top scorer on the final day of
2016-17 - from the penalty spot in the 89th minute
of a game that swung from one end to the other
throughout a scintillating afternoon of football in
Dortmund.
After narrowly surviving relegation from the top
flight last season, Bremen have enjoyed an
excellent campaign under coach Alexander Nouri
and Zlatko Junuzovic put them ahead after seven
minutes when goal-line technology was used to
establish that his close-range shot had crossed the
line.
Shinji Kagawa inspired Dortmund's fightback and
he provided the assist for Marco Reus to equalise
before starting the move that saw Aubameyang
score with a brilliant volley on the turn. Fin Bartels
made it 2-2 inside the first minute of the second
half and Max Kruse then put Bremen ahead, but
Reus and Aubameyang both converted penalties in
the final 15 minutes of the game to secure the win
for Dortmund.
The defeat ended Bremen's hopes of qualifying for
the Europa League, but they can take great
satisfaction in having finished in the top half of the
table – a feat that seemed beyond them at the start
of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Dortmund can celebrate after avoiding
the lottery of a Champions League qualifying play-
off.
Bremen took the lead after just seven minutes
when Florian Grillitsch played a low cross into the
penalty area and Junuzovic slid in to poke it over
the line. Roman Burki appeared to have saved the
shot with his foot, but the referee was informed that
the ball had crossed the line and awarded the goal.
Aubameyang had a claim for a penalty turned
down after he went down under a challenge from
Niklas Moisander after 22 minutes, and Matthias
Ginter headed narrowly over the crossbar five
minutes later as Dortmund probed for an equaliser
with urgency in front of an increasingly worried
home crowd.
The leveller came after 32 minutes, courtesy of the
ever-industrious Kagawa's superb threaded pass
through the middle of the Bremen defence to Reus,
who steered a low shot just inside the post and
beyond the reach of goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald.
Three minutes before half-time, Aubameyang gave
Dortmund the lead with a picture-book goal,
sending a sweetly struck volley on the turn into the
roof of the net after Ousmane Dembele picked him
out with a chipped pass.
Bremen refused to accept defeat without a fight in
their final match of a very good season and they
drew level within seconds of the second half.
Kruse sprinted almost the full length of Dortmund's
half before turning Nuri Sahin on the by-line and
crossing the ball to Bartels, who slammed it into
the net with aplomb from inside the penalty area.
Bremen substitute Serge Gnabry put Kruse through
on goal again five minutes later, but Marc Bartra's
last-ditch challenge cleared the danger. Kruse
would not be denied after 68 minutes, however,
when he latched onto Junuzovic's pass and hit a
shot that looped up off the shoulder of Burki and
into the net to make it 3-2.
Dortmund's porous defence looked likely to be their
undoing but they were handed a lifeline when
Gnabry brought Reus down in the penalty area and
the Germany international lashed the ensuing
penalty into the net, beating Wiedwald to his left.
The final twist in a dazzling match came when
substitute Philipp Bargfrede was judged to have
brought down Christian Pulisic and Aubameyang
stepped up to slot the penalty calmly to
Wiedwald's right, sparking wild celebrations around
the packed stadium.
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