When Borussia Dortmund’s defense chief Mats Hummels left the pitch on Wednesday evening, the game was far from over. Unfortunately, there was more than an hour left to play. Hummels had straddled with a stretched leg in the 29th minute and saw the red card. Such a lengthy outnumber should not be allowed in the Champions League against a stormy Ajax, who had been defeated 0: 4 two weeks earlier with an evenly balanced team.
Seven minutes after being sent off, Dortmund were still 1-0 ahead (37th) thanks to a penalty that Marco Reus had converted, but they were unable to defend their narrow lead for longer than the 72nd minute. Then Dusan Tadic equalized 1: 1 for the Dutch. And it got worse: in the 83rd minute and in stoppage time, Sebastien Haller and Davy Klaassen shot the guests from Amsterdam to a 3-1 victory. Dortmund’s entry into the round of 16 is now in serious danger.
Before the game against Ajax, pyrotechnics are flying in Dortmund
Before the duel between the football teams, there had already been a duel between Ajax fans and the German police outside the stadium. The Dutch had deliberately ignored the prophylactic prohibitions on pyrotechnics and even threw bottles at the law enforcement officers. The game had been classified as a high-risk game by the police. But it was also in a sporting sense. After the biggest BVB Champions League defeat in the first leg in Amsterdam, the Dortmund march in the group of four classified as feasible was already in danger. The away game at Sporting Lisbon will be highly explosive in three weeks’ time.
Because the miracle striker Erling Haaland was out again and was absent for a longer period of time, a striker made his Champions League debut, which is normally intended for the BVB third division team: Steffen Tigges, 23, instructed by coach Marco Rose: ” Tiggi gives us physique at the front. “
Physis had asked Rose of the entire team in the form of more intensity in the pressing and in the duels – and got it. BVB dominated at the beginning and brought Ajax into trouble several times, but did not use its opportunities. When Thorgan Hazard appeared in the 8th minute after a slip by Edson Alvarez alone in front of goalkeeper Remko Pasveer, he let the goalkeeper poke the ball off his foot, but then crossed straight into the center and saw Jude Bellingham head past the empty goal.
It got worse. In the 29th minute, Hummels straddled in midfield with an extended leg after the Ajax striker Antony, but did not hit him with his foot, but cleared him with the whole body swing. The English referee Michael Oliver immediately pulled out red – and his video assistant did not correct. In the 32nd minute, Hummels shook his head from the field, in the 34th minute the central defender Marin Pongracic came on for the attacker Hazard.
Seven minutes after being sent off, referee Oliver decided on a penalty for BVB: Ajax right-back Noussair Mazraoui touched Bellingham on the leg in the penalty area. This time the video course was canceled in favor of BVB. In the 37th minute, Marco Reus converted the penalty to lead 1-0 at half-time.
Even before the break, the shortage made itself felt in the form of huge holes in the defense. After the break, these holes were no longer so serious because Dortmund defended with a very defensive 4-4-1. Seldom has BVB seen such a defensive battle. “Whatever”, it said on the cap that Haaland was wearing in the stands: Whatever!
In the 72nd minute, Dortmund’s round of 16 entry was in danger. Pongracic headed an Antony cross to Tadic at the second post, who pushed the ball over the line. Seven minutes before the end, the former Frankfurt Haller scored the winning goal with a header, and shortly afterwards the former Bremer Klaasen made it 3-1. Dortmund mourned – and Hummels had to watch the drama in the cabin.