Dortmund 4-2 Gladbach: Füllkrug sparks stirring comeback for hosts
Niclas Füllkrug scored one goal and assisted another as Borussia Dortmund rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Borussia Mönchengladbach in a nail-biter at Signal Iduna Park.
Dortmund were all over the place in the early stages, with Luca Netz forcing Gregor Kobel to work with a shot from a tight angle. Gladbach took a deserved lead thanks to Rocco Reitz's 40-yard run and cool finish off the inside of the far post.
Manu Koné then capitalized on sluggish Dortmund defending from a corner with a thunderous strike from inside the penalty area to make it 2-0.
Gladbach were pushing for a third goal when Marco Reus regained possession and sent Julian Brandt on his way. The Dortmund talisman kept his cool to beat his marker and cross for Marcel Sabitzer to fire home with a deflection and give the hosts a lifeline.
Füllkrug's fine strike into the top corner brought the Black-Yellows level two minutes later. Füllkrug returned the favor on the stroke of halftime, laying the ball off to Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who swept in from 18 yards to complete a remarkable comeback.
Only a smart Moritz Nicolas save at Reus' feet at the end of the first half prevented Dortmund from scoring a fourth, and it took a last-ditch intervention from Maximilian Wöber to prevent the former Gladbach darling from turning in substitute Gio Reyna's header at the start of the second.
Bynoe-Gittens warmed the palms of Nicolas twice in quick succession before Reus crashed a free-kick against the crossbar. Gladbach created a chance on the hour, but Nico Schlotterbeck was in the right place at the right time to deny substitute Tomáš Čvančara in the penalty box.
In the closing stages, Dortmund substitute Donyell Malen tested Nicolas' reflexes, while Christoph Kramer volleyed agonizingly over at the other end.
Malen broke from the ensuing corner, calmly finishing into an open net to lift last season's Bundesliga runners-up back into the top four.
Gladbach, who were on a four-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, drop into the bottom half of the table with four games remaining before the winter break.
SportsLigue