Borussia Dortmund’s struggles in the Bundesliga continued as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against relegation-threatened Bochum on Saturday, with Georgios Masouras netting both goals.
The Black and Yellows, sitting 11th in the table, highlighted just how far they have slipped behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich and reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen, who were set to face off in a top-of-the-table showdown later.
New head coach Niko Kovac endured a tough start with a 2-1 home loss to VfB Stuttgart in his first match in charge but appeared to turn things around with a 3-0 Champions League victory at Sporting in midweek.
However, Dortmund quickly reverted to their domestic struggles, with just one win in their last seven Bundesliga games.
“We must be annoyed with ourselves and are sad about losing,” Kovac admitted to Sky, as his side recorded their ninth league defeat of the season, exceeding their eight wins. “First half we had a few good chances … if they had gone in, it might have been different. Second half we created very little. We are 11th, we can see that.”
Defensive errors proved costly once again, as Masouras’ second goal in the 35th minute came from a misplaced back-pass by Niklas Süle, gifting the winger an easy finish. His first goal had come just moments earlier.
Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel struggled to explain the performance, admitting, “There is no explanation for it. We played a lot worse than on Tuesday. We know what it is like coming here, they are super aggressive. We knew what awaited us and we weren’t able to cope.”
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Freiburg moved up to fifth after a dramatic 1-0 win at St Pauli, courtesy of a Philipp Treu own goal.
Vincenzo Grifo missed a penalty for the second consecutive game against the Hamburg side, this time sending a “Panenka” attempt straight into Nikola Vasilj’s gloves.
St Pauli fans had mixed reactions to the removal of their club anthem due to revelations about the lyricist’s Nazi ties, with some supporters booing the club president.
VfB Stuttgart dropped to eighth after a late 2-1 home defeat to Wolfsburg, while Borussia Mönchengladbach climbed to seventh with a 2-1 victory at Union Berlin, leaving the Berliners in 13th.
On Friday, RB Leipzig, sitting fourth, played out a goalless draw with midtable Augsburg.