By Juliet Ezeh
Borussia Dortmund strengthened their push for a place in next season’s UEFA Champions League after securing a 2–1 victory over 1. FC Köln on Saturday.
Goals from Serhou Guirassy and Maximilian Beier ensured Dortmund returned to winning ways following their recent setback against Bayern Munich.
Dortmund took control early in the match when Beier delivered a precise lofted pass over the Cologne defence in the 16th minute, allowing Guirassy to finish calmly and record his 12th league goal of the season.
Cologne’s chances of staging a comeback suffered a major setback just before halftime when Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was sent off after a VAR review upgraded his earlier yellow card to a red for a dangerous challenge on Beier.
With the numerical advantage, Dortmund increased the pressure and doubled their lead shortly after the hour mark when Beier found the back of the net following sustained attacking play.
The hosts managed to pull one back late through Jakub Kaminski, but Dortmund held firm to claim their first league win since mid-February and tighten their grip on second place in the Bundesliga standings.
Elsewhere, defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to an entertaining 3–3 draw by SC Freiburg in a match that saw the visitors surrender a late lead.
Freiburg twice moved ahead through goals from Vincenzo Grifo and Yuito Suzuki, but Leverkusen responded each time with strikes from Christian Kofane and Alejandro Grimaldo.
Martin Terrier appeared to have secured victory for Leverkusen before Matthias Ginter scored a late equaliser to earn Freiburg a share of the points.
The result leaves Leverkusen with work to do in the league as they prepare for a crucial UEFA Champions League clash against Arsenal FC in the first leg of their last-16 tie next week.
Meanwhile, RB Leipzig secured a dramatic 2–1 comeback victory over FC Augsburg after forcing an injury-time own goal from Arthur Chaves.
Leipzig had earlier equalised through Yan Diomande after Robin Fellhauer put Augsburg ahead.
VfB Stuttgart were also held to a 2–2 draw by Mainz 05 despite briefly taking the lead through goals from Ermedin Demirovic and Deniz Undav.
In another match, TSG Hoffenheim boosted their European ambitions with a 4–2 win over FC Heidenheim, while Hamburger SV fought back from a goal down to defeat VfL Wolfsburg 2–1 in a tense encounter that saw frustrated home supporters throw flaming scarves onto the pitch after the final whistle.
Juliet Ezeh is the founder and chief reporter at Westbridge Reporters with over 7 years of experience in journalism. She covers crime, industry, policy, and social developments, delivering timely and accurate reporting.