Guirassy arrives - and scores: BVB lose in Stuttgart
Serhou Guirassy celebrated a dream comeback at VfB Stuttgart and put another damper on Borussia Dortmund. The striker came on as a substitute in the Swabians' 2:1 (1:1) win over BVB and scored the winner in the 83rd minute from the penalty spot.
Dortmund are now eight points behind league leaders FC Bayern Munich. BVB keeper Gregor Kobel made several strong saves, but also conceded two penalties - and was only able to save one of them. Borussia also lost Mats Hummels, who had to leave the field with an injury.
Niclas Füllkrug (36 minutes) gave BVB, who were disappointing for a long time, the lead and Deniz Undav (42 minutes) equalized in front of 55,000 spectators. Guirassy then made the difference as a wild card.
Kobel in focus in the first half
Dortmund played a shockingly weak first half four days after their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the Champions League. They were harmless up front and had major problems at the back with Stuttgart's fast attacks. But: VfB missed numerous chances - and missed a penalty for the third time in a row. Against Hoffenheim (2:3), Undav failed to put the ball in the net from the spot, in Heidenheim (0:2) it was Silas. This time, Chris Führich was denied by BVB keeper Kobel in the 11th minute, who had taken the spot-kick himself.
The Swiss was the first Dortmund goalkeeper in ten years to save a penalty in the Bundesliga and went on to excel on several occasions - whether against Undav, Stuttgart playmaker Enzo Millot or Jamie Leweling. The Swabians pressed hard, especially in the middle of the first half, but simply failed to score.
Hummels out and the lead out of nowhere
In the 28th minute, Dortmund's veteran defender Hummels, nominated by national coach Julian Nagelsmann for the upcoming international matches against Turkey (November 18) and Austria (November 21), had to be substituted with an injury. Ramy Bensebaini replaced the 34-year-old. But even the Algerian was unable to stabilize the visitors' defence.
This made Dortmund's lead all the more surprising. Julian Ryerson brought the ball into the penalty area from the right, Füllkrug lurked behind VfB defender Dan-Axel Zagadou and scored his third league goal of the season from close range.
Stuttgart shook themselves briefly, but then struck back. Leweling laid a long ball from Hiroki Ito across to Undav - and this time he held his nerve. The 1:1 was well deserved.
VfB also better after the break
BVB coach Edin Terzic brought on Marco Reus and Donyell Malen for the second half to boost the attack. However, VfB initially kept the pressure on and had the first big chance again through Führich (54'). Six minutes later, Dortmund's Bensebaini and Nico Schlotterbeck almost scored an own goal.
An exciting final half-hour began, in which Dortmund's Marcel Sabitzer first hit the post (62') and Stuttgart's ace striker Guirassy then celebrated his comeback after an injury break (67'). The visitors were now slightly better in the game, but VfB ended their penalty plague. After a foul by Kobel on Silas, Guirassy scored for the 15th time in this Bundesliga season.
In the first half, BVB keeper Kobel saved a penalty taken by Stuttgart's Führich, proving to be a crucial moment for Dortmund. Despite a weak performance, Borussia took a surprising lead through Füllkrug's goal.
Guirassy, who scored the winner, returned to action for VfB Stuttgart after an injury break, contributing significantly to their comeback in the second half.
Source: www.dpa.com
