Dortmund were heading for a shock exit in the German Cup
Borussia Dortmund had debutant Axel Witsel to thank after narrowly avoiding becoming the victims of a first-round giant killing in the German Cup on Monday.
Away to second tier Greuther Furth, they fell behind with little over ten minutes remaining of the game after Sebastian Ernst scored from close range for the home side.
Witsel, making his first appearance for Dortmund after his move from Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian earlier this summer, had come on as a substitute minutes before his new side fell behind. Fortunately for Lucien Favre’s team, he was on hand to volley home a leveller from the edge of the six-yard box in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
https://twitter.com/BorussiaGoals/status/1031671042983559170
With the game seemingly set for a penalty shoot-out, the Bundesliga club eventually clinched a place in the next round after Marco Reus scored their winner in the final minute of extra time.
Witsel was part of the Belgium squad which beat England to third place in the World Cup last month. Dortmund signed him after meeting a release clause in his contract with Tianjin Quanjian. Despite this, the Chinese club had initially refused to sanction the deal and were reportedly looking to sell the player to an English club. However, with Dortmund reportedly considering legal action, the transfer was finalised last month.
