What a waste. BVB have the chance to put this game to bed on the break as they stride forward with Lewandowski in possession. However, he does not seem keen on passing to one of his many open team-mates, and eventually loses possession.
90' +1
And we're due to have three minutes of added time. Can Bremen produce another dramatic twist to this match?
90'
Bremen clear the corner at the first time of asking as far as Gotze, who shoots from 30-odd yards, but it goes some distance over the bar.
89'
Lewandowski wins a corner with a ferocious shot which Mielitz does fantastically to palm wide.
88'
Dortmund do indeed play the corner short, but Leitner eventually swings a deep ball in towards Lewandowski, who eventually wins a free kick.
87'
N. Füllkrug enters the game and replaces A. Hunt.
To the rapture of the home fans, Robert Lewandowski wins a corner. Chance to run down the clock, perhaps?
84'
My oh my. That could have been fatal. Arnautovic motors down the right and puts a fantastic cross into the middle. Petersen is completely unmarked, but doesn't seem to know much about it as the ball strikes his hip and trickles wide.
82'
I. Perišić enters the game and replaces O. Kirch.
They may have gone a goal up, but Jurgen Klopp has still introduced Ivan Perisic for Oliver Kirch. Kuba has gone to right-back for the rest of the game.
81'
M. Götze has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund! Assist by J. Błaszczykowski.
GOAL!!! Kuba feeds Lewandowski, who lays it off to Gotze, and the Germany playmaker slots it past Mielitz into the bottom corner. What a change by Jurgen Klopp!!
79'
Gotze takes the corner himself and it's headed away by the first man. The ball breaks to Kirch, who sends a ferocious volley goal-wards, and unsurprisingly, it goes some distance wide.
Minute
Description
78'
M. Götze enters the game and replaces K. Großkreutz.
Mario Gotze is coming on to search for a winner with 12 minutes to spare and immediately wins a corner.
77'
What drama here! Dortmund will certainly feel hard done by, but it's of little consequence as Bremen snatch an equaliser. Can the hosts dig out a winner.
75'
T. Gebre Selassie has scored a goal for Werder Bremen! Assist by M. Arnautović.
GOAL!! Controversy here as Dortmund claim a left-wing cross had gone out of play, and stop playing. However, Bremen are still awake, and the ball comes back to Arnautovic, who chips a brilliant ball to Gebre Selassie, and the Czech defender marks his Bundesliga debut with a looping header which nestles in the bottom corner.
74'
Weidenfeller, again, makes an excellent claim from a cross on the left wing with Petersen lurking.
73'
We're approaching the final 15 minutes now, and while there's still just one goal separating the teams, there's every chance of an equaliser. Can Dortmund hold out or even put this game to bed?
71'
M. Leitner enters the game and replaces İ. Gündoğan.
And Ilkay Gundogan has been withdrawn, with Moritz Leitner taking his place. The former Nurnberg midfielder had been risking a second booking for a while with a series of fouls.
70'
What a miss! Lewandowski gets the ball on the edge of the box and chooses to shuffle it on to Kehl. The Dortmund captain sends a tame shot goal-wards and Mielitz makes an easy save. He should have buried it!
69'
Lewandowski receives the ball with his back to goal, decides to shoot, and it goes well wide. Wasteful play there.
67'
Fritz immediately gets a talking to from the referee for taking down Kuba, who looked to get around the Bremen skipper on the left wing.
66'
N. Petersen enters the game and replaces A. Ignjovski.
Nils Petersen is coming on for his Bundesliga debut in a Bremen shirt. For the disastrous Ignjovski. Fritz has gone to left-back for the time being.
63'
Weidenfeller! The veteran goalkeeper does brilliantly to tip a threatening Arnautovic cross away. Elia was lurking there so the fingertip-touch was absolutely vital.
62'
S. Kehl gets yellow.
And now Kehl picks up a booking for taking down Junuzovic. Could things be about to get feisty as we enter the closing stages of the match?
59'
Z. Junuzović gets yellow.
Reus!! The former Gladbach star leaves a defender in his wake, but is cynically brought down by Junuzovic on the edge of the box. Reus takes the free kick himself, but it goes well over.
57'
What a chance! After being comprehensively outplayed for the entirety of the second half, Prodl meets a Hunt free kick, but can't make clean enough contact to send it home.
55'
That could have been it! Reus plays a lovely ball forward which Lewandowski runs on to. The Pole shrugs off Sokratis, but is forced wide, and when he eventually plays it back to Gundogan, a sea of green shirts are back to block it away.
53'
Kuba receives the ball in the box and tries to pull it back for Grosskreutz, but a defender gets across and clears the danger.
52'
Gundogan, who has been impressive in bursts here dribbles forward and tries to pick out Grosskreutz, who has the ball nicked off his toes.
50'
SO CLOSE!! Schmelzer delivers the contact and Hummels rises highest and looks to have scored, but Mielitz sticks out a palm and pads it over the bar. the second corner is not quite as effective, and Bremen clear it.
49'
When full-back eventually delivery the ball, Lewandowski gets his head to it and sends it wide via a deflection, but we're having a break in play as he and Prodl had a sickening clash of heads.
48'
Dortmund have a free kick in a decent position 30-odd yards from goal as Fritz pulls back Reus, who was looking to run onto a through ball. Schmelzer stands over it...
47'
Schmelzer plays it forward looking to find Lewandowski's run, but the pass is over-hit and it dribbles out of play for a goal kick.
46'
And we're back! Dortmund get the second half started and Mats Hummels immediately digs the ball forward, but the attack cannot get the ball under control.
44'
Hummels makes one of his trademark runs forward and picks out Kuba 25 yards from goal. Not for the first time, however, the Poland captain elects to shoot from distance and wastes the opportunity completely by sending the ball high and wide.
43'
Junuzovic ticks a ball between Kirch and Subotic to find an intelligent run from Elia, but the Dutchman is caught just offside. Right idea, but the ball was released a little too late.
42'
Marco Reus takes a corner on the left wing, which Subotic can't quite send goal-wards. However, the ball breaks to Hummels, but the Germany defender shot is charged down at close range.
41'
Brilliant defending from Grosskreutz. Arnautovic skips past Hummels and is getting ready to pull the trigger when the left-winger appears out of nowhere, gets across and makes the tackle.
39'
As we approach the break, you can't help but feel that another Dortmund goal would really kill this contest off, but Bremen have been quite good and would be hard done by.
37'
Arnautovic puts in a brilliant ball on the right wing looking for Junuzovic, but the Austrian is called narrowly offside. Great decision, and great vision from Arnautovic in the first place.
36'
Lewandowski collects the ball with his back to goal on the 18-yard line, and tries to move the ball on, but Gebre Selassie reads the play well and hacks it clear.
35'
Schmelzer twists and turns on the left wing and eventually wriggles clear of Gebre Selassie and digs out a cross. However, the ball takes a deflection off the Czech full-back and Mielitz plucks the ball out of the air with ease.
33'
Aaron Hunt strides forward and is just outside the Dortmund box looking for the right pass when Reus, brilliantly, sprints back and wins the ball with a perfectly-executed sliding tackle. Great commitment!
31'
REUS! The former Gladbach man wins a free kick from 25 yards out, steps up to take it himself, but sends a curling shot just over the bar.
29'
A. Ignjovski gets yellow.
Ignjovski picks up a booking for scything down Kuba right on the edge of the box. The Poland captain would have been in there, and the home fans protest the fact that the full-back only picks up a booking.
Schmelzer steps up to take the free kick, and although he curls it around the wall, Mielitz gets behind the ball and claims it easily.
26'
Dortmund may be on top, but Bremen certainly have had their chances. On this occasion, the ball comes to Arnautovic, who digs out a shot which goes straight at Weidenfeller.
25'
It could have been beautiful. Reus lets fly from 25-odd yards with a curling cross-shot which narrowly evades the head of Lewandowski and goes wide.
24'
OFF THE POST! A high ball drops kindly for Arnautovic, who swings a right boot at it, only to see his perfectly-timed effort bounce off the woodwork. Weidenfeller was completely beaten.
Down the other end, Dortmund break brilliantly and release Lewandowski on the right, however the striker's cross into the box goes straight to one of the covering defenders who clears it.
23'
Kuba, another player to have been excellent for Dortmund today, slips a lovely ball in for Reus, who whips is a cross, but a defender makes a timely clearance to stop Lewandowski from heading home.
21'
İ. Gündoğan gets yellow.
Marco Reus, who has been on fire so far tonight, wins a free kick 40 yards from goal after a clumsy tackle from Sokratis.
And Gundogan picks up the first booking of the season. Bremen clear Schmelzer's free kick with ease, but as they look to break, the former Nurnberg man cynically breaks up the move with a trip.
19'
That should have been a goal. Elia darts between two defenders to latch onto a through ball, but Weidenfeller comes off his line well and blocks the ball with his chest. It was a poor attempt on goal, all things told.
18'
First real sight of Dortmund's goal now. Elia skips inside from the left wing and takes a shot, but blasts miscues it and drags it wide.
16'
Dortmund are pouring men forward here. Gundogan initially loses the ball, but steam-rollers through and win the ball back. As he attempts to dribble in the box, the ball seems to strike Sokratis on the arm, and after a couple of shoddy follow-up crosses, Bremen hack the ball away.
14'
What a waste. Kuba drifts inside from the right-hand side, picks up the ball 35 yards from goal, but sends a feral shot high and wide.
13'
Reus is in again, this time down the left wing, but Sokratis gets across and mops up the danger. A fluid start from the hosts, who look to be in the mood.
11'
M. Reus has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund! Assist by J. Błaszczykowski.
GOAL!!! Marco Reus puts the hosts in front. Kuba pokes the ball through the Bremen defence, Ignjovski loses track of it, and Reus is there to send a low shot into the far corner from the right-hand side of the box. His first Bundesliga goal for Dortmund!
9'
Once again, Dortmund elect to shoot from distance. Kehl feeds Lewandowski, who has a pop from around 20 yards, but the ball is soon blocked by the well-placed defenders.
7'
And now a flash of brilliance from the visitors! Arnautovic bounds down the right and swings in a great ball. Weidenfeller flies out of his ball to claim it, but Hummels hooks it away, and, thankfully for the hosts, the ball is scrambled clear. A slight miscommunication?
6'
Gundogan!! Dortmund win the ball in midfield, but the Germany international drags a 25-yard shot wide as opposed to passing to his advance team-mates. Poor decision.
5'
A chorus of boos reigns down on referee Felix Zwayer as he gives a free kick against Kuba for high foot. The Pole himself looked incredulous.
4'
Schmelzer concedes a free kick in the right wing channel, and Hunt steps up to take it. The 25-year-old elects to shoot, but sends the ball into the side-netting.
3'
Hummels, in typical fashion, sprays a long ball forward, looking to find the marauding run of Schmelzer, but the advanced left-back is caught offside.
2'
Eljero Elia tries to latch onto a ball down the left-wing, but Kirch gets across and buys a throw from the former Juventus signing. A bright enough start from the visitors so far.
1'
And we're off!! Werder Bremen get the season started, and immediately pump the ball long towards Kevin De Bruyne on the right wing, and eventually win a throw.
And we're back! The Bundesliga finally gets back under way after a three-month absence, and we have a mouth-watering contest between Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
The champions, and hosts, finished last season on a 28-match unbeaten run, and will be looking to keep up their form against visitors, who have strengthened their squad considerably in the summer.
The line-ups are out, and Dortmund have made one change from the team that lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich in the DFL-Supercup a fortnight ago. Weidenfeller; Kirch, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gundogan, Kehl; Kuba, Reus, Grosskreutz; Lewandowski
Meanwhile, Werder Bremen have handed debuts to no fewer than three debutantes for the season's opener. Mielitz; Gebre Selassie, Prodl, Sokratis, Ignjovski; De Bruyne, Fritz, Junuzovic, Hunt; Arnautovic, Elia
So, we're just minutes away from the start of both this clash, and another thrilling season. What will happen? Can Dortmund get off to the ideal start against strong opponents? Can Bremen upset the odds? On a wider scale, who will win the Bundesliga? You can get in contact with us by Tweeting @Goal_Intl. We look forward to hearing from you...
We've had the unveiling of the Bundesliga's 50th season, and we're edging closer to the off. Don't go away - a thrilling encounter awaits!
Our first predictions are filtering through, and we're hearing a shout for a 2-2 draw. Will @paulcowie95 be right?
And that's half-time. Marco Reus' 11th minute strike separates the two sides here at Signal Iduna Park. Both teams have looked good going forward, but it's Dortmund who have got the half-time advantage!
We're getting a lot of feedback on Twitter so far. @scotty2smithy says that this game has been an excellent advert for the Bundesliga - I agree, a thrilling encounter thus far. @Ameenumas has sung Reus' praises, and again, I agree completely, he has certainly been fantastic. Finally @Bundesliga_id has commented that Werder Bremen have squandered a lot of chances against a Dortmund team that are'n't quite at the races yet. I'm not sure about that one - BVB have been excellent for the host part.
And that's full time! Dortmund eventually seal their win thanks to a late goal from Mario Gotze. They perhaps should have put the game to bed long before, but they can be proud of their effort against a tough Bremen team, who showcased their potential.
That's all from me here. The Bundesliga is back for another season at long last, and the champions are off to a flyer. Stay tuned to Goal.com for all the reaction to this game!
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