Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund’s title hopes dented in ‘wild’ Revierderby

But
they
have
now
ended
it
out
of
Europe
and
having
lost
their
100%
Bundesliga
record
at
the
home
of
bitter
local
rivals
Schalke.

The
run
was
bound
to
end
sometime
but
of
all
the
places
Dortmund
fans
would
have
wanted,
Gelsenkirchen
was
not
it
–
and
coach
Edin
Terzic
was
left
trying
to
mask
his
emotions
after
a
result
that
clearly
hurt.

“There
were
two
ways
to
approach
this
game:
either
with
the
emotion
and
passion
of
a
derby,
where
we
know
Schalke
can
match
us,
or
via
our
superior
qualities,”
Terzic
told
reporters
in
the
post-game
press
conference
after
Schalke
had
twice
come
from
behind
to
earn
a
2-2
draw.

“In
the
first
half,
we
showed
those
qualities,”
said
Terzic.
“But
the
second
half
became
a
game
of
emotion
and
it
got
wild.”

Guerreiro
fills
Brandt-shaped
hole

Dortmund
arrived
at
the
Veltins
Arena
with
injuries
mounting.
Captain
Marco
Reus,
out
with
illness,
joined
Karim
Adeyemi
and
Youssoufa
Moukoko
on
the
sidelines.

But
it
was
the
absence
of
Julian
Brandt,
who
sustained
a
hamstring
injury
defeat
in
the
defeat
by
Chelsea,
which
was
felt
most
acutely
by
Dortmund.
Their
uptick
in
form
since
the
turn
of
the
year
had
been
in
no
small
part
down
to
the
26-year-old’s
consistency.

All
this
presented
a
dilemma
for
Terzic
as
his
Dortmund
team
made
the
24-kilometer
journey
across
the
Ruhr
Valley
looking
to
keep
pace
with
Bayern
Munich
following
their
earlier
5-3
punishment
of
Augsburg.
With
Bayern
back
on
the
up
after
exposing
PSG,
Dortmund
had
to
find
a
way
to
win
in
Gelsenkirchen.

Terzic
opted
for
an
unfamiliar
team,
with
Sebastien
Haller
flanked
by
18-year-old
Londoner
Jamie
Bynoe-Gittens
and
Donyell
Malen,
who
wasted
chance
after
chance
in
the
first
half.
Terzic
may
humbly
concede
that
Dortmund
lacked
the
creativity
that
Gio
Reyna
would
surely
have
supplied.

If
Dortmund’s
makeshift
forward-line
struggled,
Terzic
deserved
credit
for
moving
left-back
Raphael
Guerreiro
into
central
midfield,
where
he
partnered
Jude
Bellingham.

Guerreiro
reveled
in
a
role
he
has
occupied
only
once
before,
enjoying
the
freedom
to
supply
the
assist
for
Nico
Schlotterbeck’s
opener
and,
after
Marius
Bülter
had
made
it
1-1,
lashed
in
a
sublime
goal
that
should
have
been
the
Dortmund
winner.

“Who
will
be
German
champions?”
bellowed
the
5,700
traveling
supporters.
“Borussia
BVB!”

But
Schalke
had
other
ideas.

Terzic
defends
Bellingham:
not
‘overused’

Guerreiro
wasn’t
the
only
player
to
end
the
game
with
a
goal
and
assist.
Schalke’s
Bülter
added
to
his
equalizer
to
lay
on
the
second
for
substitute
Kenan
Karaman,
who
punished
Dortmund
after
Bellingham
had
given
the
ball
away.

It
was
a
mistake
notable
for
its
rarity,
particularly
given
how
influential
Bellingham
had
been
throughout
the
contest.
But
following
a
subpar
performance
in
London
and
a
consequential
error
here,
Terzic
was
left
having
to
defend
his
best
player
and
his
decision
to
play
him
every
game.

“Jude
has
frequently
and
rightly
been
praised
by
us,
and
by
the
media,”
Terzic
said.
“He’s
an
extremely
important
player
for
us.
If
I
had
the
impression
that
he
was
being
overused,
I
would
be
discussing
it
with
him,
not
with
you.
Of
course,
he”s
played
a
lot.
Why?
Because
he’s
so
good.
But
we
are
open
and
honest
with
each
other.”

As
Bellingham
and
his
cohorts
applauded
the
travelling
support
at
full
time,
Schalke’s
players
celebrated
in
front
of
the

Nordkurve
after
extending
their
unbeaten
run
to
seven
and
further
boosting
their
survival
hopes.

And
not
only
that;
there
was
also
the
added
bonus
of
having
dented
their
rivals’ title
hopes.
Dortmund
are
left
with
a
draw
that
feels
like
a
defeat
and
a
sense
that
only
victory
in
Munich
on
April
1
can
reignite
their
title
challenge.

“Who
will
be
German
champions?” chanted
the
Schalke
fans
this
time,
imitating
their
rivals.
“Borussia
BVB?
Never!”

All
hope
is
not
lost
but
Dortmund
have
certainly
had
better
weeks.

Edited
by
Matt
Ford.

Source:

DW