Guirassy double pack
©IMAGO
BVB fell behind twice against FC Barcelona, Serhou Guirassy equalized twice, but in the end Dortmund found themselves without a point. VfB Stuttgart picked up three important points in a convincing 5-1 win over BSC Young Boys and are back in the fight for Champions League progression.
Show without happy ending: Borussia Dortmund suffered a setback on their planned direct route to the knockout stages of the Champions League against Hansi Flick’s FC Barcelona. The team led by coach Nuri Sahin lost 2:3 (0:0) to all the stars of the former national coach in an exciting match. For the injury-plagued BVB, it was the first defeat in the local (Site notre bureau spécialisé) temple since April.
In the Dortmund stadium, which was sold out with 81,365 spectators, Raphinha (53rd minute) and Ferran Torres (75th/85th) scored the Barça goals. Guirassy’s double to equalize twice (60th penalty/78th) was not enough for BVB.
Despite the defeat, the Revierklub, with twelve points and two matches to play, has a good chance of reaching the round of 16 without going through the playoffs. Borussia no longer has to fear being eliminated in the championship phase (see table).
Dortmund’s defense was immediately put under pressure
Due to the failures of his central defenders Waldemar Anton and Niklas Süle, Sahin had to improvise in defense. Captain Emre Can defended alongside Nico Schlotterbeck in the middle. And Dortmund’s defense was immediately put to the test.
Barcelona combined quickly and precisely and created their first chances early on. Captain Raphinha narrowly missed after a sharp cross and should have scored after around a quarter of an hour. A dream pass from the wonderful Spanish (Site notre bureau spécialisé)er Lamine Yamal allowed the Brazilian to break free in front of Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. BVB were lucky that Raphinha narrowly missed.
The visitors largely controlled the game and had clear advantages in midfield. Playmaker Julian Brandt, also injured, was greatly missed at the Revierclub with his ideas and overview.
Sabitzer gets first chance for Dortmund
Dortmund still had a big chance: Julien Duranville, who made his debut in the starting lineup for professional BVB, asserted himself strongly on the right side and played in front of goal, where Marcel Sabitzer, however, did not not targeted precisely enough.
Dortmund entered the match a little better. Barça was always technically superior. But BVB now changed more quickly after winning the ball back. Guirassy had a great opportunity to make it 1-0 shortly before halftime. However, the center forward shot in a hurry and missed the goal.
BVB thwart Barcelona’s advance
Shortly after the break, Guirassy scored, but the goal did not count because the passer Jamie Gittens was offside. Almost in return, Team Flick did better – although it was once again very close. Raphinha escaped the Dortmund defense after a through ball from former Leipzig player Dani Olmo and scored to make it 0-1. All the complaining didn’t help: the goal mattered.
However, Dortmund reacted strongly. Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsí brought down Guirassy in the penalty area. The person who was fouled stepped up and scored to equalize. Even a second setback did not upset Dortmund. Guirassy countered Barcelona’s renewed lead with the frenetically celebrated 2-2. Shortly before the end, Torres silenced the Dortmund fans with his second goal. A header from Schlotterbeck (90.+5), which twisted upon reception, flew over the Spaniards’ goal. The BVB defender was reportedly seriously injured on the spot. He had to be evacuated from the field.
5:1 against Bern: Stuttgart back in the race
With a goal-fest and their first home Champions League victory in almost exactly 15 years, VfB Stuttgart impressively returned to the playoff race. The Swabian Bundesliga (Site notre bureau spécialisé) team beat Swiss champions Young Boys Bern 5:1 (1:1) and significantly increased their chances of qualifying ahead of the remaining two days of the championship phase. Bern remains without a point in the current competition.
Three German national players scored for VfB, which first faced a setback in front of 60,000 spectators and then got angry: Angelo Stiller (25th minute), Chris Führich (61st) and Josha Vagnoman ( 66th). birthday. Enzo Millot (53rd) and Yannick Keitel (76th) also succeeded for Stuttgart. Lukasz Lakomy first gave the visitors the advantage (6th).
Emotions after the death in the family of the Bernese professional
VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß asked his team to respond to the 5-1 defeat against Red Star Belgrade two weeks ago – and he got it. From the Swabians’ point of view, the evening started very badly. Less than six minutes had passed when Lakomy scored with a shot from around 20 yards to give Bern the lead. Stuttgart national goalkeeper Alexander Nübel, who had already made a mistake in the championship match against Union Berlin (3:2) last Friday, did not really look good.
Lakomy’s celebration was moving: the midfielder held up his teammate Meschack Elia’s jersey, the rest of the team gathered beside and behind him. Young Boys had announced before the match that a son of the Congolese striker had died suddenly following a short illness and that Elia had then left before the match. There was a minute’s silence before kick-off and both teams played with mourning ribbons.
VfB dominant, but initially inaccurate
The Stuttgart team quickly took control after being behind and equalized through Stiller after a nice one-two with his national team colleague Vagnoman. In the first half, despite all their domination, the hosts made too many inaccuracies. A far too imprecise pass from Atakan Karazor towards Chris Führich in a very promising position was an example of this (36th).
The Stuttgart team, whose captain Karazor remained in the locker room during the break, also clearly dominated the match in the second half. The difference compared to the first half: they acted much more precisely and decisively.
Confusion over Millot’s goal to make the score 2-1
However, the 2-1 result was strange. After Rieder ran into the right side penalty area, the linesman raised the flag. The Bernese stopped playing and Millot scored with a low shot. A detailed video check showed that the ball was clearly not out of bounds after all – the goal counted.
As a result, the guests literally collapsed. Führich scored with a remarkable shot in the right corner, Vagnoman following a cross from Millot. Keitel, who replaced Karazor, made it 5-1 with a long shot. It was Stuttgart’s first home victory in the premier class since the 3-1 win against Unirea Urziceni on December 9, 2009 – and what a victory it was.
