After 21 matchdays, the top of the table in the Bundesliga could hardly be closer: Because FC Bayern and 1. FC Union drop points, Borussia Dortmund can now catch up with the top duo who are now tied. Hertha BSC, on the other hand, falls back to a direct relegation zone.
With four magic goals and the sixth win in a row, Bayern hunters Borussia Dortmund continued their dream journey through 2023. BVB drew a deserved 4-1 (2-0) against Hertha BSC for the first time since October on points with the Munich champions and 1. FC Union Berlin - Dortmund is now talking about the title again. Hertha, on the other hand, are threatened with further nerve-wracking months in the relegation battle despite a long and decent performance.
Borussia, on the other hand, is without a flaw even after eight competitive games since the turn of the year (one cup and one Champions League). This was again primarily due to Karim Adeyemi, who hit the heel fantastically (28th) and immediately hung up brilliantly for Donyell Malen (31st).
Then, however, the national player had to be substituted due to a muscle injury to standing ovations from the 81,365 spectators. Lucas Tousart scored for Hertha, who never gave up, (46'), captain Marco Reus converted a free kick directly for Dortmund (76'), Julian Brandt was also successful after a remarkable solo by Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (90').
When BVB showed up in the jet-black coal and steel special jerseys under the protest of its ultras ("You're destroying our sport!"), many prominent names were missing. Jude Bellingham, Sebastien Haller, Niklas Süle and Raphael Guerreiro were given a break in the midst of English weeks, with Reus and Mats Hummels returning to the team. It stormed Malen.
With the kick-off, the Hertha fans ignited Bengali fire and smoke pots, which led to an interruption of several minutes in the foggy stadium. What happened after that, BVB tried to determine with a lot of ball possession and initially fruitless continuous passes - the first chance, however, was missed by Jessic Ngankam (12th) for the Berliners after a bad pass from Marius Wolf.
Dortmund had to reorganize themselves, that couldn't be overlooked. Where the ball is usually handed over to the omnipresent game changer Bellingham, BVB looked for alternative solutions with Salih Özcan and Emre Can. The build-up faltered until Reus had his first chance with a header: but 25 minutes had passed.
Then Adeyemi cast magic again. On Wednesday he managed a 60-metre dream solo against Chelsea in the Champions League, this time he turned his heel beautifully. Three minutes later, his sprint made it 2-0, but also an injury that led to the immediate substitution of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. A diagnosis is pending and, according to BVB officials, is expected for tomorrow, Monday.
Hertha came back quite unexpectedly immediately after the break, BVB faltered for a few minutes and had to be wide awake again from then on. Bellingham and Haller still came on for 25 minutes, on the other side Sandro Schwarz even made four changes. Shortly thereafter it was 3:1 and Dortmund completed the victory in a convincing manner.
