Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens netted a fantastic goal with a brilliant individual effort. However, his team was unable to secure a victory, settling for a 1-1 draw against Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Saturday. This result means that Dortmund is still without an away win this season.
This draw comes after Dortmund’s previous league match against Bayern Munich, which also ended in a 1-1 stalemate. With just four days remaining before their Champions League home game against Barcelona, Dortmund will need to regroup and refocus.
Unfortunately, Dortmund faced additional setbacks during the match, as defender Niklas Suele and forward Maximilian Beier had to be substituted due to injuries in the second half. Suele had only just returned from a previous injury.
Throughout the season, Dortmund has been plagued by injuries, with a total of 10 players missing at one point. This ongoing issue has undoubtedly affected their performance and consistency.
Reflecting on the match, Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin expressed his frustration, stating, “It is disappointing that we were unable to secure a second goal and seal the victory. This defeat hurts and is perhaps even more frustrating than our previous away losses. Nevertheless, we will take this as a learning experience.”
As Dortmund prepares for their upcoming challenges, they will need to find solutions to their injury woes and work on converting their opportunities into goals in order to achieve success in future matches.
Regarding the most recent injuries, Sahin mentioned that the duo’s availability for the Barcelona match is uncertain. “I must admit, it feels like a cruel joke,” he expressed. “I can’t help but wonder if I’ve done something to deserve such an abundance of injuries. After taking them off today, their participation on Wednesday is in doubt.” Dortmund, who have suffered four losses and two draws in their six away games, currently sit in fifth place with 21 points, trailing 12 points behind league leaders Bayern Munich, who triumphed over Heidenheim with a 4-2 victory. Gladbach, who were reduced to ten men after substitute Tomas Cvancara received a late red card, currently hold the eleventh position with 18 points. Gittens, who is in terrific form, has now scored in four consecutive games across all competitions. He skillfully evaded two defenders, entered the penalty area, and fired a shot off the post to give his team a 64th-minute lead, marking his fifth goal in the league.
In the 71st minute, Gladbach equalized through a well-executed penalty by Kevin Stoeger following an extensive VAR review. The hosts came close to snatching a victory in the 81st minute, but Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel managed to deflect Robin Hack’s shot onto the crossbar. However, Dortmund found themselves with ten men during stoppage time after Cvancara received two yellow cards within two minutes of coming on as a substitute in the 89th minute.
