Nils Petersen nets stunner as Freiburg hold Borussia Dortmund to draw
Nils Petersen scored a stunning brace – outshining the returning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the process – but Borussia Dortmund's Jeremy Toljan netted a dramatic late equaliser to deny Freiburg a famous win at the Signal Iduna Park on Matchday 20.
Borussia Dortmund 2-2 Freiburg
Goals: 1-0 Kagawa (9'), 1-1 Petersen (21'), 1-2 Petersen (68'), 2-2 Tojan (90+3')
While all the pre-match focus was on Aubameyang, it took only nine minutes for Shinji Kagawa to steal the limelight by putting Dortmund ahead. Gonzalo Castro's chipped through-ball caused chaos in the Freiburg six-yard box, and although Christian Pulisic failed to convert from close range, Kagawa slammed home the rebound acrobatically. Dortmund were dominating passively – which is to say without really threatening again – and received their comeuppance when Petersen stole a march on the BVB defence and converted at the front post. Undeterred, the hosts continued to monopolise possession, but Aubameyang nodded their only real chance before half-time over the bar.
Peter Stöger responded to his side's first-half creativity deficit by introducing Mario Götze for Castro and switching to a 4-4-2 after the interval. BVB continued to dominate the ball, with Toljan and Lukasz Piszczek going close, but Freiburg were beginning to find space on the break. The visitors took full advantage in the 69th minute, Petersen robbing the ball from Nuri Sahin in midfield and sending a chip from at least 40 yards out over the backpedalling Roman Bürki. Shocked and stunned, Dortmund sought a response, and although Piszczek's late header was saved, Toljan was on hand at the last to hammer home an equaliser and rescue a point for BVB.
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Man of the match
Written off at the start of every season, Petersen seems to get better with age. Now 29, the striker's brace here took him to 10 goals for the season – the third campaign in a row that he has achieved that. Eight of those goals have come in his last six games.
Match stats
- Aubameyang made his first competitive appearance this calendar year.Kagawa's fifth goal of the season was his first on home turf.Petersen's brace takes him 29 Bundesliga goals for Freiburg, putting him second only to Papiss Cisse (37) on the club's all-time scoring list.Freiburg are unbeaten in the last eight Bundesliga games (W4, D4), the longest of any side in the top flight.
Line-ups
Dortmund: Bürki - Piszczek, Sokratis (c), Toprak, Toljan - Kagawa, Castro (Götze 46'), Sahin (Isak 78') – Pulisic (Yarmolenko 67'), Aubameyang Sancho
Unused subs: Weidenfeller, Akanji, Schürrle, Weigl
Absentees: Schmelzer (calf), Philipp (knee), Guerreiro (thigh), Reus (rehabilitation), Rode (pelvis), Durm (ankle), Larsen (knee)
Coach: Peter Stöger
Freiburg: Gikiewicz - Söyüncü, Gulde, Kempf - Kübler, Koch, Abrashi, Günter - Haberer, Höler (Kleindienst 81') - Petersen (c) (Dräger 84')
Unused subs: Klandt, Terrazzino, Schuster, Stanko, Okoroji
Absentees: Lienhart (knee ligaments), Höfler (back), Ravet (Achilles), Frantz (knee ligaments), Niederlechner (knee), Schwolow (thigh)
Coach: Christian Streich