BVB caught cold: Tabakovic snatches late win for Gladbach | OneFootball

For a long time, it looked like the Borussia derby would end goalless. But in the 88th minute, Tabakovic struck to seal a 1:0 (0:0) win for Mönchengladbach against Dortmund. BVB lacked the determination needed to wrap up second place already now.

BVB coach Kovac made one change after the 4:0 win over SC Freiburg the previous week. The young Reggiani came into the starting lineup for Bensebaini, who was out with a foot injury.

The match kicked off ten minutes late because Dortmund’s team bus was stuck in traffic on the way to Borussia-Park.

A quiet start to the Borussia derby: both teams tried to build their play with structure, while chances in the penalty area were few and far between. For the home side, it was already clear before kickoff that a win would secure their Bundesliga status.

After around 20 minutes, Mönchengladbach grew more active. Scally’s effort from the inside-left channel became dangerous because the ball bounced again right in front of Kobel. But the BVB goalkeeper was alert and pushed it away to the side. Shortly after, Reitz picked out Honorat on the wing, whose cross found Tabakovic. However, the striker did not catch the ball cleanly, so the attempt ultimately posed no danger (22').

At that stage, the Foals looked much livelier than the visitors, who offered virtually no threat in attack. Instead, Reitz and Tabakovic combined again in front of Kobel’s goal. But Gladbach’s center-forward was unable to beat the Swiss keeper from close range (32').

The Rhineland side came closer and closer to taking the lead. In the 42nd minute, a left-sided corner from Honorat found Engelhardt’s head at the far post. He held his own in the aerial duel against Bellingham, but narrowly missed the target.

In stoppage time of the first half, the Westphalians finally managed their first shot on goal. But Inácio’s effort caused no problems for Nicolas (45.+1).

Gladbach get their reward late on

The same pattern continued after the restart. In the 49th minute, Gladbach came within inches of taking the lead. The hard-working Tabakovic directed a cross from Honorat just wide of the goal while under pressure from Reggiani. Kobel likely would have been beaten.

Much of the play, however, took place between the two penalty areas. Gladbach still had more attacking moments, but apart from that early second-half chance, they failed to create real danger. In the 68th minute, BVB showed signs of life again. Ryerson took matters into his own hands and unleashed a determined strike from 18 meters out on the right half-space. His powerful right-footed shot, however, flew well wide of the left post.

A good transition moment for BVB after 79 minutes: Özcan found Fábio Silva, who fired just over the bar from 13 meters. The game now began to open up. Engelhardt received the ball in a central position and struck from 20 meters. The ball just grazed the outside of the net (81').

Photo: Getty Images

Big chance for the Foals: after a precise delivery from Honorat, Reitz got his shot away from a central position. But his effort from 11 meters narrowly missed the target on the left side (85').

In the 88th minute, the home side struck. After a precise pass from Reitz, Tabakovic found himself through on goal and finished confidently. Initially ruled out for a supposed offside, the decision was overturned by VAR after a brief check: 1:0 to Gladbach.

The Foals then threw themselves into every challenge and saw out their narrow lead.

Conclusion: BVB delivered a disappointing performance. Dortmund did not manage their first shot until first-half stoppage time. Gladbach impressed with a combative display and deserved the win. By contrast, the Black and Yellows showed too little initiative. Given their lack of attacking intent, the defeat was fully justified.

BVB: Kobel – Reggiani, Anton, Schlotterbeck – Ryerson (84' Yan Couto), Bellingham (76' Özcan), Sabitzer, Beier (61' Svensson) – Brandt (84' Chukwuemeka), Inácio – Guirassy (76' Fábio Silva)

BMG: Nicolas – Sander, Elvedi, Chiarodia (70' Diks) – Scally, Engelhardt, Mohya (65' Bolin) – Reitz (90.+1 Hack), Stöger (70' Reyna) – Honorat, Tabakovic (90.+1 Machino)

Goal: 1:0 Tabakovic (88')

Attendance: 54,042 (sold out)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.