Borussia Dortmund fought back from a goal down to beat VfB Stuttgart 3-2 in the Bundesliga, which increased their chances of securing Champions League football for next season.
Edin Terzic’s side still have a lot of work to do if they are to challenge Wolfsburg and Frankfurt for a place in the top four, but after scoring a goal after Sasa Kalajdzic nodded home Borna Sosa’s cross, BVB fought admirably back in the second half to win. a much-needed profit.
Their comeback will give their fans a smile, but also England coach Gareth Southgate – who would no doubt have kept track of the performance of young central midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Bellingham scored but got treatment late on | KAI PFAFFENBACH / Getty Images
Fortunately, for both Southgate and Dortmund, Bellingham were in good touch, and it was his goal two minutes into the second half that equalized after Kalajdzic’s 14th minute opener. Collect Giovanni Reyna’s pass in the middle of the penalty area and caressed the ball home in the lower corner with a calm beyond his sore years.
A few minutes later, Dortmund got their noses in front of them when Erling Haaland – who was clocked sprinting at a Bundesliga high of 36.04 km / h (22.4 mph) during the match – stepped excellently over Mateu Morey’s pass to let the ball reach Marco Reus. The German winger, who later struggled with another injury, expertly bent his first shot in the corner past Gregor Kobel and turned the game on its head within five minutes.
The home team had their chances to equalize – as one would expect against a Dortmund side that is prone to be cut up in defense – and they got back on par with just under 15 minutes ago when Daniel Didavi punished more suicide defense from the visitors.
In true Dortmund style, they fought back immediately – after Bellingham and Reyna had been replaced – when 19-year-old Ansgar Knauff swept home his first Bundesliga goal. This time it turned out to be the decisive goal – to strengthen BVB’s confidence ahead of the second round of their Champions League quarter-final with Manchester City, which they are currently tracking 2-1.
Remember the name Ansgar Knauff | KAI PFAFFENBACH / Getty Images
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by Union Berlin, enabling title-chasing RB Leipzig to reduce the gap to Hansi Flick’s side to five points after a pounding 4-1 victory over Werder Bremen. Former Crystal Palace striker Alexander Sørloth was on double for head coach Julian Nagelsmann, while it was also goals for Dani Olmo and Marcel Sabitzer.
