After a shockingly weak performance, Borussia Dortmund suffered its first defeat in the sixth competitive match under new head coach Nuri Sahin. BVB lost 1:5 (0:2) to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga and are already five points behind behind league leaders FC Bayern Munich.
In front of 60,000 spectators, attackers Deniz Undav (4th minute) and Ermedin Demirovic (21st minute) scored early for the runners-up, who had temporarily overtaken Dortmund. After the break, Enzo Millot (62nd minute), El Bilal Touré (80th minute) and Undav again (90th minute) increased the lead. Former VfB striker Serhou Guirassy could only shorten the deficit for the visitors (75th minute). VfB now has seven points, just like BVB, but moved ahead of the Black and Yellows due to the better goal difference.
Undav continues remarkable run
Dortmund played a miserable first half hour. Memories of their poor performances in Stuttgart in the previous season were awakened, when they had lost and disappointed in both the league and the cup. National player Waldemar Anton was still wearing the VfB jersey and captain’s armband at the time. When he returned to Stuttgart, he was greeted by the home fans with loud whistles and a placard. The Stuttgart fans had taken the defender’s move to BVB much worse than the attacker Guirassy.
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VfB got off to a dream start. Undav scored the early 1-0 after preparatory work by Maximilian Mittelstädt and with the help of the right inside post. The 28-year-old scored in his third competitive game in a row for the Swabians, having previously scored his first goal for the national team. The striker is on a roll – and VfB has perfected this with lightning starts. For the third time this season, Stuttgart scored in the first eight minutes.
Demirovic follows up – Kobel saves several times
The Swabians kept the pressure on and Demirovic added another goal. The new signing scored with a free header – also after a pass from Mittelstädt. It was the attacker’s fifth competitive goal of the season. The performance of VfB, who won the Champions League during the week had lost unluckily at Real Madrid (1:3)was impressive.
Harmless up front and careless at the back – that was how Borussia played in the first 30 minutes. The visitors had their goalkeeper Gregor Kobel to thank for not being 3-0 or 4-0 down at half-time. The Swiss national keeper, also a former Stuttgart player, made several strong saves – such as a double chance for Millot and Undav (24th minute). Or just three minutes later again against Undav.
It was not until the end of the first half that BVB got a foot in the door. Jamie Gittens, who had already played for Dortmund, came on for the injured Felix Nmecha. in the Champions League at FC Bruges (3-0) with a brace, brought new momentum.
Guest coach Sahin brought in full-backs Yan Couto and Ramy Bensebaini for the second 45 minutes and made some changes. BVB now stabilized somewhat and Julian Brandt had the chance to score (55th minute). Shortly afterwards, however, Millot was there and scored to make it 3-0 for the Swabians. Guirassy then scored through the legs of VfB goalkeeper Alexander Nübel. On the other side, substitute Touré also scored before Undav completed the Dortmund debacle with his second goal. (dpa)
