BERLIN – Borussia Dortmund secured its first Bundesliga away win of the season on Sunday, emerging victorious over Wolfsburg with a score of 3-1 after Pascal Groß received a red card.
Donyell Malen opened the scoring for Dortmund in the 25th minute by volleying in a corner kick. Just three minutes later, Julian Brandt set up Maximilian Beier, who scored with a stylish outside-of-the-boot shot that hit the left post before finding the net. Beier celebrated this goal with a playful throwing-dart gesture.
Beier then assisted Brandt, allowing him to net Dortmund’s third goal just two minutes later, giving the visitors a strong cushion. However, following that commanding start, Dortmund struggled for long stretches as Wolfsburg improved their performance significantly.
Wolfsburg’s coach, Ralph Hasenhüttl, made two substitutions at halftime, one of which saw Lukas Nmecha joining the match to compete against his brother, Felix Nmecha, who is a part of Dortmund. Denis Vavro managed to score for Wolfsburg in the 58th minute, providing a glimmer of hope. Shortly afterward, Groß was red-carded for a foul on Lukas Nmecha as he was about to go one-on-one with the Dortmund keeper.
Despite pressing hard for the equalizer, Wolfsburg could not capitalize on their opportunities, and Dortmund held on to their lead, alleviating some pressure from coach Nuri Sahin. Brandt reflected on the match, stating, “A 3-0 lead should mean you can get through the game with confidence,” pointing out his team’s drop in performance as an area needing improvement. “We’re to blame for that. It’s not good; we need to play more confidently; we need to grow up.”
With this victory, Dortmund rose to sixth place in the Bundesliga ahead of the winter break, although it’s clear that the club has set its sights higher following a rocky start to the season. Beier remarked, “We’ll try a reset and to play better in the new year. It can’t be our goal to be sixth.”
In a notable development, last-placed Bochum achieved its first win of the season by defeating relegation rival Heidenheim 2-0. Bochum’s coach, Dieter Hecking, expressed optimism by stating, “When we play like we did today, it means there are lots of possibilities for the next 19 games,” and he was relieved to have finally secured a victory.
On the other hand, Heidenheim faced their seventh consecutive Bundesliga defeat, a struggle following their impressive European qualification last season and the loss of several key players during the offseason. Heidenheim’s coach, Frank Schmidt, acknowledged the tough competition, stating, “Everyone did their best, but we have to be honest – it wasn’t enough.”