IAt some point in the summer, when not only the German champion has been determined but all other important sporting Bundesliga decisions have also been made, this white jersey with the red chest ring is likely to appear in many a Borussia Dortmund family’s nightmare.
At least if BVB is looking forward to a season without a Champions League, which is becoming an increasingly concrete danger. The first leg against VfB Stuttgart, lost 2-1, was a low point of the season due to the poor performance, and the Revierklub was also eliminated from the DFB Cup against the Swabians.
Now, after the 0-1 defeat in the third duel this season, the direct competitor from the south can hardly be caught anymore. “This is a bitter setback,” said Dortmund captain Emre Can after his club slipped to fifth place in the table. “We want to reduce the gap to Stuttgart to one point, now it’s seven points.
Just an impressive move
Should things actually go wrong with the Champions League qualification, not only the defeats against VfB, but also this shot by Nico Schlotterbeck from two and a half meters over the Stuttgart goal would fit well into the nightmares (80th). It was a failed attempt that could be very expensive.
“I think I have to do it, I know that,” said Schlotterbeck, who was also too far away from the Stuttgart striker when Serhou Guirassy conceded a goal (64th). However, the Dortmund defender announced almost defiantly: “For me we were the better team today, we just missed scoring the goals. I think if we keep going like this, we’ll get there.”
However, BVB did not offer its audience the game of a team that was determined to take the next step. Sports director Sebastian Kehl praised the “high tactical level”, but for a long time the audience’s spectacular choreography remained the most impressive action of the evening.
Serhou Guirassy scores the decisive goal for VfB Stuttgart.
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Image: AP
The Westfalenstadion, which now bears the name of an insurance company, was 50 years old. While the words “Westfalen Stadion” appeared in black and yellow on the two long straights in the minutes before kick-off, a golden “50” could be seen on the south stand and in front of it, pictures of the greatest moments that could be celebrated here were unrolled .
“The setting was incredibly beautiful,” said Kehl, and the game was “orderly,” as captain Can added. But “proper” probably won’t be enough in the difficult duels in Leipzig, against Leverkusen and in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid that are now coming up.
Committed resistance
The conditions for a big black and yellow celebration were excellent, and not just because of the stadium’s birthday. Due to various injuries, the Stuttgart team played in an unusual formation: midfielder Angelo Stiller helped out as a central defender, something he had never had to do before in the Bundesliga. And Dortmund were inspired by five wins in a row and the beautiful 2-0 win at FC Bayern last week.
But somehow the decisive moments were missing, also because the Stuttgart team put up a committed resistance. “To pull it off like that today in this constellation makes me proud,” said coach Sebastian Hoeneß, “that was a very important step.” He was a little worried that the 3-3 draw against Heidenheim the previous week might have left its mark . But VfB is obviously stable enough to deal with such setbacks constructively.
The guests had an excellent chance before the break when Guirassy headed wide of the goal from close range and completely unchallenged (25′). On the other hand, Karim Adeyemi missed the 1-0 when he ran towards the Stuttgart goal but only hit the foot of keeper Alexander Nübel (31′).
In the end, Dortmund threw everything forward, even central defender Mats Hummels played up front in the nine minutes of stoppage time, and Dortmund already had a few chances: a header from Füllkrug (66th) or a chance from Sebastien Haller (90+ 7.).
But they definitely want to continue to believe in themselves and focus on the positive aspects of the past week. “I think we showed a good performance against a top team,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, “we deserved at least one point.” The quality and current form of his team make him “confident” for the tasks ahead. The game in Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League is coming up on Wednesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and on DAZN).
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