Freiburg collapse in stunning Dortmund comeback
On a hot Friday night in Germany’s ‘Black Forest’, Borussia Dortmund shocked SC Freiburg in a second half turnaround to win 3-1 on Matchday 2.
| Marius Wolf. | Photo: Lukas Mengeler, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
The first serious challenge of the game came when Freiburg keeper Mark Flekken blocked Anthony Modeste’s first shot in a black and yellow shirt. But, Dortmund failed to create many opportunities throughout the first half, as Freiburg were far and away the more potent side. Winger Vincenzo Grifo and left-back Christian Gunter’s link-up play consistently got behind BVB’s defense to give Freiburg a barrage of corners.
In the 35th minute Europa-Park Stadion exploded, as a looping header from new striker Michael Gregoritsch gave Freiburg a 1-0 advantage. Grifo could have added another in the 41st minute, but his shot hit Gregoritsch directly in line with the goal.
Marius Wolf replaced right-back Thomas Meunier to begin the second half, but Dortmund continued to struggle with pass accuracy. Mahmoud Dahoud nearly scored from distance in the 54th minute, but BVB were constantly open at the back and seemed out of ideas to create many decent chances on goal.
Substitutions from Edin Terzic didn’t seem to be providing the needed spark, as Dortmund couldn’t crack Freiburg’s well-organized defense. In a funny moment, Freiburg trainer Christian Streich exchanged words with Nico Schlotterbeck after a strong tackle on Ritsu Doan. But in the 77th minute, the Freiburg faithful were left in disbelief by what they had just witnessed.
In a moment of sheer madness, Freiburg’s keeper Flekken seemed to lose concentration and let a shot from youngster Jamie Bynoe-Gittens go through his hands to tie the game 1-1. Freiburg looked far more exposed after this incident in the rest of the contest, as Dortmund continued to play with more intensity.
A superb run from Bynoe-Gittens led to another Dortmund goal from striker Youssoufa Moukoko, who was assisted by Julian Brandt. But, BVB still weren’t finished. Wolf scored a screamer in the 88th minute to put the game away which gave Dortmund a 3-1 victory.
It seems those Terzic substitutions did the trick after all.
Modeste struggled in his first start for BVB, but supporters won’t care in the slightest. Dortmund's depth was the decisive factor in this game, as the club will need to win close ones like this to have any shot at winning the Bundesliga title.
Freiburg travel away to Stuttgart next weekend, while Dortmund return home to face Werder Bremen on Matchday 3.
