Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Borussia Monchengladbach: Dortmund keep Champions League hopes alive with thrilling comeback victory over Gladbach
Borussia Dortmund maintained their pursuit of a top-four Bundesliga finish with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday, scoring three goals in a blistering nine-minute spell before halftime.
Just five days after their Champions League exit to Barcelona despite winning the quarter-final second leg 3-1, Dortmund showed remarkable resilience to overcome an early deficit. The victory propelled them to seventh place with 45 points, leaving them four points behind the fourth and final automatic Champions League qualification spot with four matches remaining.
"It was important that we beat a strong Gladbach team," said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac. "We have a good development but we have to win the next game. It is only about us and on the 17th of May (season finale) we will know more about where we stand."
The hosts dominated the early proceedings with over 70% possession and created two promising opportunities before Gladbach stunned them against the run of play when Ko Itakura found the net in the 24th minute.
The Japanese defender later became the culprit when he afforded Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy too much space in the box in the 41st minute. Guirassy capitalized on a Pascal Gross cutback following excellent work from substitute Carney Chukwuemeka to level the score.
Chukwuemeka's introduction minutes before Dortmund's equalizer transformed their attacking dynamics, adding pace and penetration on the flanks. The momentum shift was immediate, with Felix Nmecha putting Dortmund ahead just three minutes after the equalizer in a nearly identical move. Daniel Svensson then extended the lead with a rebound header deep into first-half stoppage time.
"Things did not initially go as planned with Gladbach's first goal and the injury of Maximilian Beier (in the 35th)," Kovac explained. "But overall after the game against Barcelona and Bayern (last week) it was another tough game but we gave it all and earned the three points through hard work."
Gladbach reduced the deficit through Kevin Stoeger's penalty in the 56th minute, but Dortmund held firm to secure their third league victory in four matches, keeping their Champions League qualification hopes alive.
SportsLigue