Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund chokes in front of the full Westfalenstadion | Sports | German football and major international sports news | DW

Borussia Dortmund 1-4 RB Leipzig, Westfalenstadion
(Malen 84′ – Laimer 21′,30′, Nkunku 57′, Olmo 86′)

It was meant to be a party for Borussia Dortmund who welcomed 81,365 fans to the Westfalenstadion on Saturday night. Instead, Marco Rose’s side were dispatched by an RB Leipzig side who never looked back after taking an early first-half lead.

“It was a really tough result to take and we’re really, really disappointed because we really had other ideas, and we were so excited to play in front of a packed crowd again,” Marco Rose said afterwards. “Leipzig were really efficient and in and around the box they were more ruthless and uncompromising than us.”

Everything the homecoming fans had hoped to bring to the party to secure a victory was soon forgotten when Christopher Nkunku provided Konrad Laimer for the opener. A deflection helped the Austrian midfielder score his second before the break as Leipzig made the most of their chances.

“Once in a while I tease Konrad a bit, because when he shoots in training he hits everything but the goal,” said Leipzig head coach Domenico Tedesco.

Leipzig confirmed their superiority in the second half, and even had the last laugh when Dani Olmo’s outstanding goal made Donyell Malen’s header a mere consolation.

The win, combined with Freiburg’s loss to Bayern, solidifies RB Leipzig’s grip on fourth place and bolsters confidence in Domenico Tedesco’s side ahead of a critical stage of the season in which RB are still trying to win both the German Cup and the Europa League.

Haaland’s return doesn’t bring luck

For Dortmund, the season now looks set to end without any trophies.

“We know it wasn’t good, but we don’t have to act like we lost 4-1 and were outplayed,” Mats Hummels said afterwards.

Erling Haaland hadn’t started a game at the Westfalenstadion since January 14 and an injury scare during the international break threatened to derail his comeback, but he did start against RB Leipzig.

His productivity for Dortmund was never in doubt, having scored 16 Bundesliga goals before his two-month injury, but on Saturday he didn’t offer much of a threat. Against Leipzig, he seized a first-half opportunity in front of goal but was otherwise quiet as the 21-year-old’s future continues to be a topic of discussion.

Haaland managed just one shot throughout the game

Youngster Jude Bellingham had never played in front of a full yellow wall and his 24,000 fans before today, but the 18-year-old was left shaking his head at the home fans after another disappointing Dortmund game.