The dream of the title is alive: Borussia Dortmund remains close on the heels of champions Bayern Munich thanks to an impressive home performance and the highest win of the season.
The furious team of coach Edin Terzic dispatched the helpless VfL Wolfsburg with 6:0 (3:0) and is only one point behind the German football record champions after their tenth home victory in a row.
Goals from Karim Adeyemi (14th), Sebastien Haller (28th) and Donyell Malen (37th) had the Südtribüne quaking in the first half and were testament to BVB’s nerves of steel. Jude Bellingham (54./86.) and Adeyemi (59.), who missed a penalty in the 64th minute, added to the score after the break. The last time the Black and Yellows won higher was in September 2018, when they beat 1. FC Nürnberg 7-0. Wolfsburg, meanwhile, have been waiting eleven years for a win in Dortmund and missed out on a safe European Cup place.
The runners-up showed themselves unimpressed by Bayern’s win in Bremen in front of 81,365 spectators. The hosts pressed Wolfsburg deep into the defence from the start and earned their fourth corner kick in the tenth minute. Shortly afterwards, the pressure-filled opening phase was rewarded. National player Adeyemi headed in a deflected cross from Julian Ryerson. This was BVB’s 49th league home game in a row – impressive.
The game might have taken a different turn if Patrick Wimmer had taken his big chance to equalise. The striker, however, failed to score with a free shot against BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, and Mats Hummels deflected Jakub Kaminski’s follow-up shot over the goal (20.).
After this moment of shock, BVB continued their storming run. Time and again, Dortmund found their way behind the Lower Saxony defensive chain. After Hummels had won the ball against Jonas Wind, Adeyemi served Haller in the centre – 2:0.
The guests increasingly lost their order. After a long pass from Marius Wolf, Julian Brandt kept his cool in front of goalkeeper Koen Casteels and crossed the ball to Malen. The Dutchman slid the ball into the empty net and took off in jubilation.
Wolves coach Niko Kovac had seen enough and made two changes at half-time. Kilian Fischer and Kevin Paredes replaced the weak Ridle Baku and Josuha Guilavogui.
This measure did not change anything in the course of the game. The playful Dortmund players kept the tempo enormously high and overran the overtaxed opponent. Brandt (49th) and Niklas Süle (50th) still missed, then Bellingham, who was courted by Real Madrid, increased the lead. The Englishman’s powerful shot was initially deflected against the crossbar by Casteels, but from there the ball bounced into the goal.
But even this did not quench Dortmund’s thirst for goals. After Sebastiaan Bornauw lost the ball in his own penalty area, Haller saw the better-positioned Adeyemi, who easily scored his second goal. He missed the third from the penalty spot after a foul by Fischer on Bellingham. Nevertheless, the fans celebrated him with chants when he was substituted.
