Borussia Dortmund star Nico Schlotterbeck has lauded his former teammate Niclas Fullkrug for his late equalizer for Werder Bremen in their 2-2 draw on Friday.
The BVB's perfect start to the Bundesliga season ended with a late collapse at the Signal Iduna Park as they blew a two-goal lead to the River Islanders.
Daniel Svensson and Schlotterbeck scored in the 80th and 85th minute respectively to hand the Prussians a 2-0 cushion which seemed to have won them the match.
Bremen had other plans, though. A pass from the back by Schlotterbeck was intercepted and Ludovit Reis reduced the deficit in the 88th minute.
In the second minute of stoppage-time, Bremen won a free-kick and Fullkrug raced to connect with it unmarked before heading home for 2-2 as Dortmund's lead was wiped out.
The Germany international was back in his old stomping ground two years after leaving the club and made his mark right at the death with a goal in his fourth consecutive league match.
Schlotterbeck was shocked with the result, having almost won the game with a header of his own from a perfectly-weighted corner by Joey Veerman with only five minutes of normal time remaining.
He said:
"We actually had everything under control until the 88th minute, and then you give up two goals and end up with a draw. "
On Fullkrug, he added that the striker is an excellent header of the ball and he made it apparent with his skill late in the match to earn Bremen a point.
"Fülle is Fülle. He is excellent at heading the ball and has an incredible leap. That's obvious."
Dortmund suffer another late collapse
The match was almost in the bag with Dortmund leading, but they end up conceding some late goals and drop points. How many times have we seen this unravel since the last season?
BVB's latest implosion stings particularly because the side scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match after having been knocking on Bremen's door for a while.
Three points looked almost certain but again, Dortmund grew complacent, conceding territory and possession in the final minutes instead of seeing the game off.
It's these kind of slip-ups that have ultimately cost them the title in the long run, not only their poor results against Bayern Munich.
In the Champions League on Tuesday, away to Bodo/Glimt, Dortmund have a point to prove.
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