(Football news) Ivory Coast international Sebastien Haller scored twice as Borussia Dortmund went past 10-man Augsburg to win 3-0 and take control of the Bundesliga title race going into the final match of the season next week. After a cagey 1st half, Haller scored in the 58th minute and then went on to tap in his second goal six minutes before the end to lift them above Bayern Munich and into top of the Bundesliga standings. Julian Brandt put the final nail in the coffin when he scored a stoppage-time goal.
The Ruhr valley club’s last title win came wayback in 2012 under then Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp, who are now two points ahead of Bayern on 70. Thomas Tuchel’s men suffered a shocking 3-1 home loss to RB Leipzig which completely blew open the title race. In the first half the Black and Yellow had 16 shots on goal and also hit the post through Niklas Sule, but they just couldn’t score a goal. Dortmund came into the game after Augsburg were reduced to 10 men following the dismissal of Felix Uduokhai in the 38th minute.
Emre Can hit the woodwork in the 2nd half but they finally broke the deadlock and got their much deserved goal as Haller slotted the ball off the post. Augsburg did well to instantly respond with a meaningful chance but Gregor Kobel did well to stop Cardona’s shot. Haller, who missed majority of the season after being diagnosed with testicular cancer last year as he then settled Dortmund fans nerves with an easy tap-in as Brandt completed a convincing win for BVB. Dortmund are going to play at home against Mainz on the last matchday while Bayern, who have won the 10 consecutive league titles, will travel to Koln for the season finale.
“We have suffered and we had to sweat a lot, not only this season,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. “Now it is about taking that last step together with our fans in our stadium in our city and bringing the league trophy finally back to Dortmund. This has not been the season of missed chances, but the season of setbacks. It is now about taking that last step.”
“If some told me six months ago that I would be in this situation today I would not have believed them,” Haller, who underwent surgery and chemotherapy before his return to action in 2023, said. “We have invested a lot and now we have a chance to achieve something big. There is no magic. It is about investing. Then it comes.”
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