Out in the quarterfinals – weak Dortmunders deservedly fail at RB Leipzig
Joy for Timo Werner, frustration for Julian Ryerson: Leipzig knocks BVB out
Quelle: Getty Images/Stuart Franklin
Borussia Dortmund has to accept the next setback four days after the defeat at Bayern. In the DFB Cup quarter-finals at RB Leipzig, BVB, who were overwhelmed at times, were eliminated. The defeat could have been even worse.
Mshake the catastrophic 2:4 in the Bundesliga top game at FC Bayern out of your bones as quickly as possible. Just don’t slip through a cup-off in the direction of a mini-crisis and miss another title chance after the premature end in the Champions League. Borussia Dortmund didn’t succeed at all. Edin Terzić’s team, which was overwhelmed at times, was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup with a 0-2 (0-1) loss at RB Leipzig. The coach lost his perfect cup record of eight wins in eight games as BVB coach.
Four days after the setback in the championship race in Munich, Dortmund had to do without Nico Schlotterbeck (muscle fiber tear with tendon involvement) and Sébastien Haller (knee problems), but started with Mats Hummels and Donyell Malen. In addition, Terzić voluntarily did without Jude Bellingham from the start, with Salih Özcan playing for him. “We are open and honest with every player. Jude said after the Bayern game that he lacked freshness a bit. He’s played a lot in the last few weeks and months,” Terzić explained the removal before the game on ZDF.
At first there was no sign of a mission to make amends. BVB got off to a shaky start and were lucky not to fall behind after just three minutes. After a nice interaction with Timo Werner, Konrad Laimer got a shot from a tight angle, Gregor Kobel saved. After the subsequent corner, the BVB keeper had to defuse a shot by Benjamin Henrichs. A short time later, Dani Olmo tested the goalkeeper with a treacherous long-range shot (6′).
BVB couldn’t get out of Leipzig’s grip and had to thank Kobel again and again. The blunder in front of Bayern’s opening goal on Saturday didn’t leave any traces, the Swiss was in top form and saved with a great foot defense against Olmo (12th). In the 22nd minute Kobel was powerless. After a cross pass from Mohamed Simakan, Werner pushed in for a deserved lead. The result could have been even higher at the break. Josko Gvardiol headed just wide (33′), then Olmo failed to volley at Kobel (34′).
Terzić changes at the break
Terzić reacted to what was seen at the break and brought on striker Youssoufa Moukoko for defender Marius Wolf. An effect of the offensive change was hardly visible, although the frequency of dangerous Leipzig attacks decreased noticeably. Nevertheless, there was still a lack of BVB ideas in their own offensive game. Bellingham’s arrival didn’t inspire BVB either, although he made many gestures to encourage the fans who had traveled with him and his own team-mates.
As the game went on, Leipzig kept concentrating on a stable defense – they weren’t really challenged by BVB in this task. Instead, Laimer had the decision on the foot, but Kobel kept the upper hand after a direct counterattack in a one-on-one (78th). Shortly before, the power had failed twice for a few moments in the Leipzig Arena. Only in the seventh minute of stoppage time did Dortmund have a great chance in the form of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. In return, Willi Orban made everything clear. He pushed into the empty goal because Kobel had moved forward to the BVB corner (90+8).
Suddenly it was dark on the lawn of the Leipzig stadium
Quelle: Getty Images/Stuart Franklin
After leaving Bayern, RB is now the favorite in the field of semi-finalists (Eintracht Frankfurt, SC Freiburg, VfB Stuttgart, Leipzig). For things it was the first win after the last three defeats in a row. For BVB, the championship is now the last title chance.