Tag: Borrusia Dortmund

Categories
football Sports News

BUNDESLIGA: HAALAND SCORES ON FINAL APPEARANCE FOR BORRUSIA DORTMUND

Erling Haaland scored a penalty on his final appearance for Borussia Dortmund in a 2-1 win over Hertha Berlin, who face a play-off to stay in the Bundesliga.

The visitors took the lead at Signal Iduna Park through a spot-kick from Ishak Belfodil in the 18th minute.

Haaland – set to head to the Premier League next season after Manchester City triggered his £51.1million release clause – had Dortmund level from a penalty with 20 minutes left.

Jude Bellingham then played in Youssoufa Moukoko to slot home from a tight angle in the 84th minute – which coupled with a late winner for Stuttgart sent Felix Magath’s side into the relegation play-offs.

Stuttgart had started the day in 16th place and looked set to stay there after Anthony Modeste had headed in equaliser for Cologne on the hour to cancel out Sasa Kalajdzic’s early opener.

However, in stoppage time, Wataru Endo nodded in a from a corner to spark pandemonium around the Mercedes-Benz Arena.

RB Leipzig secured fourth spot and with it a place in the Champions League after a late goal from defender Willi Orban salvaged a 1-1 draw at relegated Arminia Bielefeld.

Janni Serra had bundled the home side in front with 20 minutes left, which had looked enough to sign off from the top flight with a win – only for Orban to nod home a stoppage-time equaliser from a free-kick.

Robert Lewandowski, who has been linked with a summer move away, took his Bundesliga goal tally to 35 as champions Bayern Munich ended the campaign with a 2-2 draw at Wolfsburg – where they had been 2-0 up at half-time.

Union Berlin beat Bochum 3-2, with Taiwo Awoniyi scoring twice, to finish in fifth place, a point behind Leipzig, and go into the Europa League.

A last-minute goal from Exequiel Palacios saw third-placed Bayer Leverkusen end the campaign with a 2-1 home win over Freiburg, who finish sixth.

Marcus Ingvartsen scored twice as Mainz held Europa League finalists Eintracht Frankfurt to a 2-2 draw, while bottom club Greuther Furth went down 2-1 at Augsburg, where Michael Gregoritsch struck a late winner.

Jonas Hofmann grabbed a brace to help Borussia Monchengladbach come from behind to sweep aside Hoffenheim 5-1.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

JUDE BELLINGHAM UNDER INVESTIGATION BY GERMAN FA FOR REFEREE COMMENTS

Jude Bellingham is under investigation by the German Football Association for his comments about the referee after Borussia Dortmund’s defeat to Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Referee Felix Zwayer turned down Dortmund’s appeals for a penalty and later awarded Bayern a spot-kick after Mats Hummels was deemed to have handled in the area.

Emotions ran high at the end of ‘Der Klassiker’, which Bayern won 3-2, and Dortmund midfielder Bellingham, 18, questioned the appointment of Zwayer, who was banned for six months in 2005 for his part in a match-fixing scandal.

A statement on the German FA’s official website said: “The control committee of the German Football Association (DFB) has initiated an investigation against Jude Bellingham.

“After the Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich on Saturday, the Borussia Dortmund player said in a TV interview about referee Felix Zwayer: ‘You are giving a referee who has already fixed matches before the biggest game in Germany. What do you expect?’

“As a first step, Bellingham was written to by the DFB control committee and asked to comment on his statement as soon as possible.

“After the opinion has been submitted and evaluated, the control committee will decide on the further progress of the procedure.”

Bellingham’s comments are also reportedly being investigated by German police.

Robert Lewandowski converted Bayern’s 77th-minute penalty to clinch them a 3-2 win at Signal Iduna Park, which lifted them four points clear of Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga table.

Categories
football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Liverpool lining up club-record £80m Jude Bellingham swoop

Liverpool are reportedly preparing to launch a club-record £80m bid for Borussia Dortmund starlet Jude Bellingham.

The 18-year-old continues to impress for club and country since making the move to the Bundesliga from Birmingham City last year and remains contracted to BVB until the summer of 2025.

However, Bellingham’s impressive breakthrough has supposedly led to interest from top clubs such as Chelsea, who are said to be plotting a swoop for the teenager in 2022.

Now, the Daily Star claims that Jurgen Klopp has earmarked Bellingham as the perfect addition to his midfield, with the Reds failing to replace Georginio Wijnaldum in the most recent transfer window.

The report claims that Liverpool are ahead of Manchester United in the race for the England international, who remains content at Dortmund but is aware that a Premier League move may be inevitable.

Bellingham has already scored one goal and set up two more in three Bundesliga appearances this season, and he garnered significant praise for his performance in England’s 4-0 thrashing of Andorra at the weekend.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

Manchester United in pole position to sign Erling Braut Haaland next summer

Manchester United are reportedly at the head of the queue for Erling Braut Haaland‘s signature in the summer of 2022.

The Norwegian starlet seems set to remain at Borussia Dortmund for the 2021-22 season, with Chelsea understood to have had a proposal turned down while the Black and Yellow can afford to play hardball over a fee.

However, Haaland’s £68m release clause will be active by the time the next summer window rolls around, and an intense battle for his services is set to commence at the end of this season.

According to Bild, Haaland will “definitely” be on his way out of Dortmund after the current campaign, and United are in pole position to sign the former Red Bull Salzburg man.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was tipped to bring his compatriot to Old Trafford earlier in the summer, but Edinson Cavani’s contract extension allowed United to prioritise other areas in the transfer window.

Haaland has already claimed five goals and three assists from four appearances in all competitions this season, taking his total tally in Dortmund colours to 62 goals and 18 assists from 63 games.

Categories
Golf Slides Sports News

HAALAND NETS BRACE AS DORTMUND DEMOLISH FRANKFURT IN BUNDESLIGA OPENER

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland scored twice and set up another three goals as the hosts steamrolled past Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 on Saturday to put down a marker in their Bundesliga opener.

It was captain Marco Reus who put new coach Marco Rose’s team in the driving seat in the 23rd minute, scoring from a Haaland assist, with Dortmund fans returning in limited numbers to the 81,000-capacity stadium

A Felix Passlack own goal four minutes later did nothing to slow them down as Thorgan Hazard rifled them back into the lead in the 32nd after Reus combined with the 21-year-old Haaland, who had scored a hat-trick in their German Cup first round win last week, for yet another counter attack.

The hosts, who face champions Bayern Munich in the German Super Cup on Tuesday, completed their first half goal rush with Haaland pouncing on a Stefan Ilsanker mistake to charge into the box and slot in for a two-goal lead in the 34th.

Gio Reyna added a fourth goal with a tap-in on the hour with Eintracht at the complete mercy of the bursting Dortmund runs that kept on coming. Another Haaland run earned him his second goal of the evening following a VAR review.

Fellow Norwegian Jens Petter Hauge scored late on his Bundesliga debut to somewhat improve the scoreline for Frankfurt. Bayern slipped up on their season opener on Friday with a 1-1 draw at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

BUNDESLIGA: DORTMUND SEALS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPOT WITH SIXTH STRAIGHT VICTORY

Borussia Dortmund secured their place in the Champions League for next season as Raphael Guerreiro, Marco Reus and Julian Brandt scored in a 3-1 win at Mainz on Sunday.

Three days after routing Leipzig 4-1 to win the German Cup final, Dortmund swept aside Mainz in the league.

Guerreiro and captain Reus hit first-half goals before Germany winger Brandt made sure of the three points with a late effort.

Mainz striker Robin Quaison claimed his 30th Bundesliga goal by netting a 90th-minute penalty.

Qualifying for Europe caps a remarkable turnaround by Dortmund in the last six weeks.

They were fifth and seven points from the Champions League places after losing 2-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt in early April.

Dortmund have since won all six league games to guarantee a place next season in the group stages of the Champions League.

Dortmund’s purple patch has extended to the German Cup, winning Thursday’s final after Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland both scored twice in Berlin. Qualifying for Europe also reduces the chance of star striker Haaland leaving at the end of the season. The 20-year-old has made no secret of the fact he wants Champions League football and his agent Mino Raiola has recently fuelled speculation the Norwegian could leave.

Haaland has a contract until 2024, but there is reportedly a release clause which becomes active in 2022.

Dortmund are adamant he is staying, with sports director Michael Zorc insisting Haaland “will play for us next season” before kick-off Sunday.

In their previous home game, Mainz pulled off a shock 2-1 win over Bayern Munich but Dortmund allowed no such repeat.

Dortmund took the lead when Guerreiro unleashed an unstoppable shot from the edge of the area on 23 minutes.

The visitors kept up the pressure and Dortmund had appeals for a handball turned down when a Reus flick caught the hand of Mainz defender Alexander Hack.

Reus got on the scoresheet when Sancho ghosted past defenders and squared the ball for his captain to tap home three minutes from the break.

There was a ten-minute delay to the second-half after a storm drenched the Mainz pitch, but Dortmund picked up where they left off.

Just after coming on, Brandt fired home having combined with Haaland after the pair opened up the Mainz defence ten minutes from the whistle.

There was still time for Quaison to put away his 30th Bundesliga goal from the penalty spot to become his club’s all-time top scorer in Germany’s top flight.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

HAALAND, SANCHO BAGS BRACE AS DORTMUND WINS GERMAN CUP FINAL

Jadon Sancho and Erling Braut Haaland both netted twice Thursday as Borussia Dortmund won the German Cup with an emphatic 4-1 win over RB Leipzig to spoil Julian Nagelsmann’s hopes of leaving with a title.

Dortmund turned on the style at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, converting all of their three first-half shots on target to sweep Leipzig aside as Sancho netted twice either side of a superb Haaland goal.

“I am very happy that I could score two goals and set up one for Haaland,” Sancho told ARD.

The England winger could have claimed a hat-trick late on after rounding Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, but failed to get his shot away.

“I don’t know what happened, I am sure I am going to look back on this game and regret not getting my hat-trick,” Sancho admitted.

“Next time I will shoot first – sorry Dortmund fans.”

Spain midfielder Dani Olmo pulled a goal back for Leipzig, before Haaland grabbed his second in the dying stages despite slipping as he connected.

Dortmund lifted the German Cup for the fifth time in the club’s history.

“It’s unbelievable, I am proud of the morale the team has shown in the last few weeks,” said captain Marco Reus as Dortmund have also recently got back into the Bundesliga’s Champions League places.

Defeat in Berlin dashed Nagelsmann’s hopes of winning the first senior title of his coaching career before leaving after two years coaching RB Leipzig to take the helm at Bayern Munich next season.

RB Leipzig, who were only founded in 2009, are also waiting for a first major title having also lost the 2019 German Cup final to Bayern.

“I’m proud of the team, but it’s not good to lose a final,” admitted Nagelsmann.

“We were a bit too passive in our own box and we had to much to do at 3-0 down.”

Haaland returned to the Dortmund line-up after a leg injury kept him out of the two previous games, including Saturday’s 3-2 home win over Leipzig in a dress rehearsal for the final.

Sancho, who also scored twice on Saturday, put Dortmund ahead with just five minutes gone.

After Dortmund captain Marco Reus robbed Kevin Kampl of possession, the ball was worked to the edge of the area, where Sancho curled his shot around Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

Dortmund converted their second shot on goal when Haaland made it 2-0 on 28 minutes.

He sprinted onto Reus’ pass, beat Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano, who will follow Nagelsmann to Bayern next season, and curled his shot around Gulacsi.

It took Leipzig until seven minutes before half-time to create a clear chance when Haaland’s Norway team-mate Alexander Sorloth fired into the side netting.

Sancho grabbed his second just before the half-time whistle when he tapped into an empty net from Reus’ pass after Dortmund opened Leipzig’s defence before the VAR confirmed there was no offside.

Leipzig were much improved in the second-half.

With his side 3-0 down at half-time, Nagelsmann swapped both forwards with Sorloth and South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan for Yussuf Poulsen and Christopher Nkunku, who made an immediate impact.

Just 25 seconds after the break, Nkunku’s chip clipped Dortmund’s crossbar from Amadou Haidara’s cross while Poulsen fired two chances wide.

At the other end, Thorgan Hazard, a half-time replacement for Jude Bellingham, squandered a chance to make it 4-0 with the goal at his mercy with an hour gone.

Olmo pulled a goal back on 71 minutes when he slotted home from the edge of the area.

Sancho squandered a late chance to claim his hat-trick when he waited a fraction too long after rounding Gulacsi and scuffed his shot before Haaland netted his second to send the title to Dortmund.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

JUDE BELLINGHAM BARRED FROM JOINING ENGLAND SENIOR SQUAD

Jude Bellingham has been ‘barred’ from travelling to the UK for England duty by Borussia Dortmund because of strict coronavirus guidelines.

Bellingham, 17, was set to be named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland.

The Three Lions boss picks his squad on Thursday and will be without a host of key players including Jordan Pickford and Jack Grealish, among others.

And he could also be without Bellingham who will now have to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Germany from England

Southgate and the FA thought the budding midfielder was exempt from quarantining.

The laws have since been altered, but Southgate is still hopeful the situation could change yet again so the teenager becomes available for selection.

Bellingham is still waiting to discover whether he can join up with the England team ahead of fixtures at the end of the month.

Reports claim Dortmund are not prepared to be without the ex-Birmingham City star for the two weeks that follow the internationals as both of their Champions League quarter-final fixtures fall within that period.

The Bundesliga club have already refused to allow Gio Reyna to travel to Northern Ireland for USA’s friendly match on March 28.

They would also have stopped Jadon Sancho from travelling but he’s injured.

Bellingham made his senior debut for England against the Republic of Ireland last year.

He was left out of England’s Euro U21 squad in view to receiving a senior call-up, but those plans remain on ice.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

MARCO ROSE TO JOIN DORTMUND NEXT SEASON FROM BORRUSIA MONCHENGLADBACH

After weeks of speculation, Borussia Mönchengladbach confirmed on Monday that head coach Marco Rose will leave the club at the end of the season in order to take charge of Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund.

The 44-year-old’s contract with Gladbach runs until 2022, but Dortmund are set to trigger a €5 million ($6m) release clause to bring Rose from one Borussia to the other.

“We’ve had many discussions about Marco’s future in recent weeks,” said Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl, after tabloid BILD and football magazine Kicker had broken the news. “Unfortunately, he has decided to make use of a clause in his contract and move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer.”

Dortmund themselves confirmed the move but said they would be refraining from commenting further until the end of the season.

Dortmund had made Rose their number one target to take over long term from former head coach Lucien Favre, who was sacked in December. Under interim coach Edin Terzic, the Black and Yellows have only won four out of ten league games and have dropped to sixth in the Bundesliga level on points with seventh place Gladbach.

Despite a poor recent run of form – Gladbach haven’t won in three games either and lost a local derby to Cologne last week – Rose’s rapid rise has quickly generated interest.

He began his coaching career with hometown club Lokomotive Leipzig in 2012 before coaching several Red Bull Salzburg academy teams. He took over Salzburg’s first team in 2017, winning the Austrian Bundesliga and qualifying for the Champions League for the first time.

He was headhunted by Gladbach sporting director Eberl ahead of the 2019-20 season and led the Foals to fourth place, returning them to the Champions League for the first time since 2016, where they progressed through a group containing Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

Under Rose’s tutelage, Gladbach have impressed with an aggressive pressing game and a potent attack built around Marcus Thuram, Alassane Pléa and captain Lars Stindl. Behind them, Florian Neuhaus and Denis Zakaria have developed into two of the Bundesliga’s top midfielders.

Gladbach’s offensive style of play has seen them outscore both Bayern Munich (3-2) and Borussia Dortmund (4-2) since the turn of the year, playing the sort of football that the BVB bosses want to see at the Westfalenstadion.

Rose will face his future employers again in the German Cup quarterfinal on March 2.

Categories
football Slides Sports News

JADON SANCHO ENDS GOAL DROUGHT IN TITLE RACE REJUVENATION WIN AGAINST WOLFSBURG.

England winger Jadon Sancho scored his first Bundesliga goal this season to seal a 2-0 win for Borussia Dortmund at home against Wolfsburg on Sunday to breathe life back into his side’s fading title hopes. After crashing to a shock 2-1 defeat at Union Berlin a fortnight ago before the league’s two-week winter hiatus, Dortmund saw off a spirited Wolfsburg side who created plenty of chances for Dutch striker Wout Weghorst. Dortmund finally broke the deadlock at Signal Iduna Park when Manuel Akanji’s powerful header hit the net on 66 minutes before Sancho broke clear to score their second in added time.

Having occasionally struggled this season, the 20-year-old Sancho capped a fine display having also provided the corner from which Akanji scored.

“It wasn’t an easy win, but we stayed calm and I’m pleased that Sancho put in such a good corner and the ball went in,” goal-scorer Akanji told Sky.

Dortmund move up to fourth, six points behind leaders RB Leipzig, who went top of the league table after Saturday’s 1-0 win at Stuttgart thanks to Dani Olmo’s winning goal.

European champions Bayern Munich can later restore their two-point lead with a home win against strugglers Mainz.

Having missed the previous seven games, Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland returned from a hip injury and although short of match fitness, he went close with several chances before coming off with ten minutes left.

In the goalless first-half, Wolfsburg were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty after the ball struck the hand of Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel, but the VAR refused to award a spot kick after a lengthy review.

Dortmund finally broke the deadlock 24 minutes from time when Akanji out-leapt the defence to power Sancho’s corner past Wolfsburg goalkeeper Koen Casteels.

Having been booked on 80 minutes for kicking the ball away in frustration after a missed chance, Haaland was subbed off shortly after.

His replacement Steffen Tigges came within a whisker of claiming Dortmund’s second goal when he fired across the Wolfsburg goal.

With Wolfsburg pushing hard for the equaliser, Dortmund counter-attacked from their own goalmouth as Sancho broke clear and fired past Casteels in the 91st minute.