Mmor passion, no reward – the football fairytale that Borussia Dortmund had hoped for never materialized. The 2: 2 (2: 1) at the Glasgow Rangers sealed the knockout of the Bundesliga second in the second round of the Europa League. Despite a strong first half in front of 50,817 spectators in the roaring Ibrox Park, the 2:4 from the first leg a week ago was too great a burden. This means that another source of money has dried up for the ambitious Revierclub after the early end in the Champions League.
After goals from Jude Bellingham (31st) and Donyell Malen (42nd), BVB seemed to be on the right track towards the round of 16. But the goals of James Tavernier (22./foulelfmeter/57.) caused disillusionment. “There are several reasons. First of all, we had them completely in the sack in the first half, so they were well served,” said Mats Hummels on RTL. “Then we come out of half-time very badly, I make the mistake to make it 2-2. We almost felt it. In the end we didn’t lose it here, but last week in Dortmund.” The defense chief spoke of a “huge disappointment. In the end we made far too many individual mistakes, myself included.”
All of Borussia’s good intentions to turn the tide after the first leg seemed passé in the 22nd minute. After a strong start with Bellingham hitting the post (4′) and a long-range shot from Malen (18′) just wide of the Rangers goal, the visitors suddenly found themselves behind. The Spanish referee Antonio Lahoz rightly punished an unnecessary foul by Julian Brandt on his own edge of the penalty area with a penalty, which Tavernier converted safely.
Despite all the frustration about this deficit, the Rose team didn’t react with hanging heads this time, but with angry attacks. This commitment and courage were quickly rewarded. With a bit of luck, a misguided pass from Malen landed the ball in front of Bellingham’s feet, who took the chance to equalize from close range.
This goal was the prelude to a competitive and open exchange of blows between the two teams. The fact that the Scots missed a double chance from Scott Arfield and Alfredo Morelos in the 35th minute gave Dortmund hope. A combination in a confined space via Brandt and Bellingham completed Malen with the goal to make it 2-1. This half-time result raised hopes for a happy ending at BVB.
Even after the restart, Dortmund went into action with a lot of commitment, but only rarely found their way into the opponent’s penalty area. That put the Rangers back in the game. With bad consequences for BVB: Tavernier punished an unsuccessful attempt by Mats Hummels to defend himself with his second goal. This sealed the end of the Bundesliga club. Although he tried hard for the third goal, but ran in vain. With counterattacks, the Scots were more dangerous than BVB.
