Status: 20.03.2022 21:43
Borussia Dortmund suffered a setback in the fight for first place. BVB drew 1-1 at 1. FC Köln on Sunday (March 20, 2022) and are now six points behind FC Bayern.
Coach Marco Rose’s team also missed out on a perfect week in the Bundesliga. Before that there were 1-0 victories against Arminia Bielefeld and Mainz 05, against the hard-fighting team from Cologne one goal wasn’t enough. After the away win at Bayer Leverkusen (1-0), Steffen Baumgart’s team has scored against a top 3 team for the second time in a row.
Early Dortmund leadership, but no shocked Cologne
After seven minutes it looked as if BVB could celebrate their third win in seven days. After a long ball from Mahmoud Dahoud, Marius Wolf appeared free in front of the goal and scored the 1-0 for the guests. The 26-year-old gave Dortmund victory a week earlier against Arminia Bielefeld with the goal of the day.
This time, however, BVB decided to top it up. It became dangerous again after a long pass, this time Jude Bellingham played on Erling Haaland, who narrowly missed the Cologne goal with his right foot when he made his comeback from the start (25th). Shortly afterwards, Cologne also had their first good opportunity, Mark Uth hit the side netting from close range (26′), seconds later the ball jumped clear in front of the goal with an even better shot (27′).
The FC meets again on the outside
After 35 minutes, BVB keeper Gregor Kobel had to reach behind him again. After a cross from Jannes Horn, Anthony Modeste headed the ball, but instead of on goal, the ball went straight to Sebastian Andersson, who only had to slide it into the empty net from a few meters. It was Cologne’s 15th goal from a cross this season – the best in the league.
Driven by 50,000 spectators in the sold-out stadium, the hosts made a fresher and more aggressive impression overall. Cologne dominated the game, had more possession and combined again and again thanks to Dortmund’s defence. Apart from his chance in the 25th minute, the BVB players were unable to stage their top striker Haaland in the first half.
Haaland misses the renewed BVB leadership
After ten minutes in the second half, the Norwegian was released in an exemplary manner for the second time. After a great pass from Giovanni Reyna, Haaland appeared free in front of Marvin Schwäbe, but failed at the Cologne goalkeeper. Two top chances, no goal – the 21-year-old is never that careless with his opportunities.
In the 70th minute, Haaland was again close to scoring. The ball entered the Cologne penalty area via Bellingham and Julian Brandt, but Luca Kilian was able to clear it just before the striker. On the other hand, Manuel Akanji blocked a dangerous shot from Ondrej Duda at the last moment (72′). In the final stages, both teams tried to build up pressure again, but there were no longer any great chances of a winning goal for either side.
Dortmund now with a Champions League duel
After the international break, Cologne will continue with the away game at Union Berlin on Friday (April 1st, 2022). BVB meets RB Leipzig in the top game on Saturday (6.30 p.m.).
Source: sportschau.de