Borussia Mönchengladbach secure survival with last-gasp victory over Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Mönchengladbach preserved their Bundesliga status for next season thanks to Haris Tabaković’s late winner in a 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund, who missed the chance to clinch second place behind Bayern Munich.
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-0 Borussia Dortmund
Goal: 1-0 Tabaković 88’ (assist: Reitz)
Eugen Polanski's side knew that victory on Sunday evening would open up an unassailable lead over 16th place with only two rounds of fixtures left to play. The Foals started the day six points clear of the bottom three - but without a win in the league since defeating St. Pauli on 13 March.
Having recovered from back-to-back defeats with victory against Freiburg last weekend, Dortmund needed just three more points to be guaranteed the runners-up spot in Germany's top flight. Niko Kovač's troops had already secured UEFA Champions League football for next season, but the BVB boss had called on his side to finish their campaign with a flourish - starting with Sunday's trip to Borussia-Park.
Gladbach were the more purposeful side from the outset, with Franck Honorat causing problems down the right-hand side and Joe Scally getting himself into some excellent positions on the opposite flank. The American almost managed to pick out Tabaković with only seven minutes gone, but Dortmund were able to clear the danger.
The hosts thought they had taken the lead in the 25th minute when Nico Elvedi volleyed home Kevin Stöger's free-kick, only for their celebrations to be cut short by the offside flag. Gregor Kobel produced a fine save six minutes later to deny Tabaković - who had done well to get on the end of Rocco Reitz's low cross - before Yannik Engelhardt headed narrowly wide from Honorat's corner three minutes before the interval.
Dortmund had to wait until first-half stoppage time for their first effort of the match - a Samuele Inácio shot which was comfortably saved by Moritz Nicolas.
The second half began in similar fashion, with Tabaković going agonisingly close in the 48th minute, turning Honorat's delivery wide of the far post under pressure from Luca Reggiani.
Dortmund improved as the second period wore on but other than a Fabio Silva effort, which sailed narrowly over Nicolas' crossbar, they struggled to carve out any opportunities of note. The hosts, meanwhile, continued to push forward in search of a late winner, with Engelhardt sending a dipping effort whistling over the bar in the 81st minute.
With two minutes remaining, Tabaković latched on to Reitz's perfectly weighted through-ball before sweeping a calm finish past Kobel. The strike was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR ruled that Tabaković was in fact onside from Reitz's pass and the goal was awarded, sparking jubilant scenes among the home fans inside Borussia-Park.
Man of the Match: Nico Schlotterbeck
Despite finishing on the losing side, Nico Schlotterbeck was voted Man of the Match with 29 per cent of the vote.
The Dortmund captain was his team's standout performer, producing a crucial block to deny Reitz in the 78th minute and recording the highest pass efficiency of any BVB player.
Ultimately, though, he was unable to prevent Gladbach emerging with all three points.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: M'gladbach 1.79 - Dortmund 0.40
Fastest player: Maximilian Beier (Dortmund), 34.92 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Haris Tabaković (Gladbach), 38 percent
Most pressed player: Rocco Reitz (Gladbach), 22 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Rocco Reitz (Gladbach), +4.55
Fantasy Heroes: Rocco Reitz (Gladbach, 268 Points), Joe Scally (Gladbach, 250 Points), Haris Tabaković (Gladbach, 236 Points)
