Curious Jarstein blunder proves difference as Dortmund top Hertha 2-0
Borussia Dortmund picked up a vital three points in their quest to climb back into the Champions' League places on Saturday evening.
A goalkeeping howler from Rune Jarstein and a spectacular tight angle shot from Youssoufa Moukoko in injury time saw the Shwarzgelben past visiting Hertha 2-0.
Despite a great deal of hard, disciplined defensive work, Pal Dardai's "alte Dame" weren't able to put together an unbeaten streak after the Bundesliga's late Saturday kickoff. Neither Hertha nor their Westphalian hosts were able to manage much offensively during a first-half in which the ball mostly remained in midfield.
A goalkeeping howler from Rune Jarstein and a spectacular tight angle shot from Youssoufa Moukoko in injury time saw the Shwarzgelben past visiting Hertha 2-0.
Perhaps the best chance of the opening 45 fell to young English sensation Jude Bellingham. The 17-year-old immediately snapped a shot on target after a deft cutback from Thorgan Hazard in the 34th. Hertha keeper Rune Jarstein responded with a world-class parry and the scoreline stood 0-0 at the break.
As strong as Jarstein (newly reinstalled head-coach Pal Dardai's preferred choice in goal over Alexander Schwolow) looked on the earlier save, he committed an inexplicable error on a Julian Brandt flutter ball nine minutes after the restart. Replays show that the veteran Norwegian backstop had his eyes on Brandt's ranged effort all the way, yet he perplexingly appeared to step out of the way of it at the last moment.
Jarstein recovered to execute a brilliant stop on Emré Can's header in the 77th. Three minutes later, however, the visiting Berliners found themselves reduced to ten men after a nasty late challenge on Marco Reus from Vladimir Darida. Jarstein again looked weak in injury time, when substitute Youssoufa Moukoko nutmegged him from a seemingly impossible angle.
The result moves the BVB up to fifth place, one point behind Eintracht Frankfurt for the final Champions' League place. Matters may look very different tomorrow as the SGE still must play Leipzig tomorrow and a Bayer Leverkusen win could push Dortmund back down to sixth place in the table.