Painful title trauma in May, bitter setback at the end of the year – Dortmund showed nerves once again in the duel with Mainz. 206 days after the memorable season finale (2:2) at the same venue, with which Terzic’s team lost the championship, the hoped-for sense of achievement failed to materialize once again.
The sixth competitive game without a win in a row will increase criticism of Terzic. Media reports about an alleged “player rebellion” against the coach had already caused additional explosiveness before the game. The fifth place in the table’s renewed qualification for the Champions League is becoming more and more in danger. The guests’ goal conceded by Sepp Van den Berg (43rd) in front of 80,350 spectators in Signal Iduna Park after BVB’s lead by Julian Brandt (29th) will seriously disrupt the longed-for Christmas peace.
AP/Martin Meissner Dortmund’s players leave coach Edin Terzic out in the cold
After the criticism of the past few days, the Dortmund team was clearly trying to make amends and took control from the start. In addition to Brandt’s goal, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (8th) and Marcel Sabitzer (31st), who played through, only hit the crossbar. Shortly before the break, Van den Berg headed in from close range after a cross from Philipp Mwene – Sabitzer did not put enough pressure on his compatriot. After the restart, Borussia seemed unsettled, Mainz with the Austrians Mwene and Karim Onisiwo even pushed for the lead. The point win was finally a reason to be happy for the Mainz team.
Leipzig drops points in Bremen
In Bremen, Lois Openda (47th) gave the guests the lead, Justin Njinmah (75th) equalized for Werder with a long-range shot. After winning four competitive games in a row, third-placed Leipzig at least temporarily missed catching up with second-placed FC Bayern on points in the table and can be overtaken by VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday. Xaver Schlager was missing from Leipzig due to illness, and Christoph Baumgartner and Nicolas Seiwald came on as substitutes in the second half. For Bremen, captain Marco Friedl played through, Romano Schmid came onto the field after just over an hour.
Newly promoted Darmstadt rewarded itself with a point for a courageous performance and gained new courage in the relegation battle before the break. With Christoph Klarer and Emir Karic as well as Mathias Honsak, the Hessians came to a 3-3 draw in the final phase and despite being behind three times, but have already been without a win for nine games.
German Bundesliga, 16th round
Tuesday:
Dortmund – Mainz 1:1 (1:1)
Goals: Brandt (29th) and Van den Berg (43rd)
Dortmund: with Sabitzer
Mainz: with Mwene, Onisiwo until 92.
Hoffenheim – Darmstadt 3:3 (2:1)
Goals: Kramaric (14th/penalty), Bebou (28th, 66th) or Pfeiffer (23rd), Skarke (57th, 85th)
Hoffenheim: Grillitsch ab 54.
Darmstadt: with Klarer and Karic, Honsak from 84.
Bremen – Leipzig 1:1 (0:1)
Tore: Njinmah (75.) bzw. Examiners (47.)
Bremen: with Friedl, Schmid from 63.
Leipzig: Baumgartner from 62nd, Seiwald from 76th, without Schlager (ill)
Wednesday: