The scene of the game: Wolfsburg is outnumbered, Wolfsburg is in attack. But then Mahmoud Dahoud anticipates a match and quickly switches over: his dream pass from his own half finds Erling Haaland between two Wolfsburg defenders and fate takes its course. The Norwegian is over 30.40 meters faster with ball than his opponents without and overcomes then also ice – cold goalkeeper Koen Casteels-the 0:2 in the 68th minute. Season goal number 25 for the Norwegian, only he scores such goals. What a dynamic, what a force, what a degree-world class!
result: Borussia Dortmund won 2-0 at VfL Wolfsburg in the top match of the 31st Bundesliga matchday and gave new nourishment to their hopes of a Champions League qualification. Click here for the match report.
The first half: Since central defender Mats Hummels was yellow-locked at the Dortmund, the VfL immediately put the newly formed defensive line of the guests under pressure – and promptly came to chances. Paulo Otávio gave away the best early on, shooting the ball right past the goal (8. Minute). Then the cold shower: a failed return pass from Ridle Baku to John Anthony Brooks was given to Haaland, who completed the gift of the Wolfsburg defender: from ten meters he overcame Casteels in the goal of the hosts. It should remain the only ball contact of the guests in the VfL penalty area until the 35th minute. 9: 2 Shots on goal was the record at the break.
The second half: Wolfsburg’s top striker Wout Weghorst had just ten touches of the ball in the first 45 minutes, in the second round he was in the centre of attention after less than 60 seconds, but his shot from the turn went just over the goal (46.). In the 59th minute Dortmund’s Jew Bellingham looked yellow-red. Dortmund, however, were much better in the game and outnumbered the 2:0 (68.).
Fast record of Bellingham: With 17 years and 299 days, Bellingham is the second youngest player in league history to be expelled from the field. Only Maurizio Gaudino (17 years and 271 days) was younger in the 1-0 victory of his SV Waldhof Mannheim against Eintracht Braunschweig in September 1984.
Victory at the favorite opponent: VfL Wolfsburg beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in the final of the 2015 DFB-Pokal. To give you an impression of how many years of football this has been: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored for BVB and Kevin de Bruyne, among others, for the VfL. Since then, there have been ten victories for BVB in eleven matches with just one draw. Game twelve confirmed this development.
Soft legs in the VfL: After matchday 27, the world of the VfL was bathed in pink colours. Third was the team of coach Oliver Glasner, a whopping eleven points ahead of the fifth BVB should be enough to secure the first Champions League qualification since 2015, which had been achieved under Glasner’s pre-pre-predecessor Dieter Hecking at the time. But next to the 3-1 against VfB followed a spectacular 3:4 against Eintracht Frankfurt, a 2: 3 against FC Bayern Munich and now the 0: 2 against Borussia.
table: BVB coach Edin Terzic spoke during the week of an “endgame” waiting for his players. His team won this final, it was the fourth victory in a row for Dortmund. There are now two points left, thanks to the Frankfurt defeat in Leverkusen even only one left on Eintracht. An excellent matchday for BVB.
view: The Wolfsburg team will meet Union Berlin and FSV Mainz 05 at home on the last three matchdays and have to go to Leipzig. BVB also play twice at home, against Leipzig and Leverkusen. Away from home, Dortmund still have to get to Mainz. Maybe the BVB has started just in time, not for the first time since 2015 (sic!) to miss the Champions League, then under Terzic’s pre-pre-pre predecessor Jürgen Klopp.
