Borussia Dortmund’s Bundesliga troubles continued on Sunday with a 2-0 loss at Eintracht Frankfurt that left the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 champions bottom of the table after 13 games.
Midfielder Alexander Meier’s league-leading eighth goal of the season and Haris Seferovic’s strike in the 78th minute were enough to inflict Dortmund’s eighth league defeat.
Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp vowed he would continue fighting to turn the side’s domestic season around.
Photo: Reuters
“I consider myself fully responsible. There’s no tendency [for a coaching change] here. Until someone comes along and tells me otherwise, I can’t go away. I can’t go until there’s a better solution,” Klopp said. “If it was only based on luck, and if a coaching change was guaranteed to bring the luck back, then I would make the way free.”
Meier got the home side off to a flying start in the fourth minute when he ran onto Marco Russ’ long clearance and clipped the ball past Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller.
A defensive mix-up between Weidenfeller and Matthias Ginter allowed Seforovic to clinch the result. Ginter headed the ball back to the Dortmund captain, only to find he had moved from his goal and the grateful Seferovic nipped in to score.
Photo: Reuters
Frankfurt reserve goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald produced a host of saves at the other end as the home side climbed to ninth.
The 24-year-old Wiedwald, playing because of an injury to Kevin Trapp, denied Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Kevin Grosskreutz almost equalized in the 24th minute when he struck the post on the rebound from Aubameyang’s effort.
Dortmund defender Lukasz Piszczek went off with a thigh injury in the 38th minute and Klopp opted to send on forward Adrian Ramos.
Ramos also found Wiedwald in inspired form.
Meier missed two good chances to make it 2-0, before Seferovic sealed Dortmund’s fate.
Traveling fans, who had supported the side loudly during the game, whistled the players afterward.
“We’re not making it easy for them. The whistles are understandable. What more can I say?” Klopp said. “We’re facing a huge challenge and we didn’t manage it today.”
Meier offered words of encouragement.
“Dortmund can’t be relegated. They’re too good,” Meier said.
Earlier, Robin Knoche’s first-half strike was enough for VfL Wolfsburg to beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 1-0, underlining the side’s credentials as the closest challengers to Bayern Munich.
Knoche scored in the 12th minute, prodding home from close range after Yann Sommer’s attempted clearance of Marcel Schaefer’s cross rebounded off his back.
“It was a good cross and I knew there were players coming in for it. That’s why I decided to go for the ball,” the Moenchengladbach goalkeeper said.
Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio saved from Roel Brouwers in the 18th minute and did even better to deny Patrick Herrmann on the line in the 30th.
Sommer showed his capabilities by denying Ivica Olic in the second half, when the visitors might have had a penalty after Benaglio clattered into Thorgan Hazard and missed the ball.
“You have to make the most of your chances, otherwise it’s difficult here,” said Moenchengladbach midfielder Christoph Kramer, who came close to scoring in stoppage-time.
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