Goals from Julian Brandt and Maximilian Beier lifted Borussia Dortmund to a nervy 2-0 home win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday and up to second in the German Bundesliga table.
Brandt’s early strike put Dortmund ahead, but the hosts, who have dropped a number of points from winning positions this season, once again struggled with the lead.
Gladbach’s teenage midfielder Wael Mohya forced a reflex save from Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel with 10 minutes remaining, before Beier sealed the victory deep into stoppage time.
Photo: AP
“It felt good to score a late goal of our own this time and not concede an equalizer,” Brandt said to Sky Germany. “A lot of games have ended in draws, so it was extremely important for us to win.”
The victory took Dortmund six points behind leaders Bayern Munich and three clear of third-placed RB Leipzig, who could return to second with a win at home against Bayer 04 Leverkusen yesterday.
Dortmund coach Niko Kovac praised his side, saying: “We had a short summer break because of the [FIFA] Club World Cup, but we came out of it well.”
“Of course we’d like to have a few more points, but I think the team is fighting hard,” he added.
Dortmund came into the match having won 18 of their past 19 home meetings with Gladbach. Former Dortmund midfielder and US international Gio Reyna returned to the Westfalenstadion for the first time since joining Gladbach in the summer.
Handed just his second league start of the season, defender Niklas Suele created Dortmund’s opener, drifting in a cross for Brandt to volley home 10 minutes in. The goal was the in-form Brandt’s fourth in his past three games.
Often criticized for his fitness and work rate, Suele was then on the spot to snuff out a Florian Neuhaus shot with an excellent challenge late in the opening half.
Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy, with just one goal in his past 10 league games, looked to have broken through when he had the ball in the net just after the break, but was offside.
Having made his senior debut last week, Gladbach’s 16-year-old midfielder Mohya almost leveled right after coming on, but his shot was diverted over the crossbar by Kobel.
In the seventh minute of stoppage time, Beier — who had missed a golden chance earlier — was set up by fellow substitute Fabio Silva, tapping in from close range to wrap up the match for the hosts.
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