Borussia Dortmund kicked off the 15th matchday of the Bundesliga with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The home win propels BVB temporarily to second place in the table, while Gladbach slips to 11th.
The clash between the two Borussias concluded on Friday evening with a clear win for Dortmund. As early as the 10th minute, Julian Brandt put the hosts ahead, despite a preceding foul. The referee allowed play to continue, and VAR did not intervene, validating the goal.
The visitors from Gladbach displayed plenty of effort but lacked precision in attack to truly threaten Dortmund's defense. Just before halftime, another BVB goal was disallowed for offside. The final score was settled in stoppage time: Maximilian Beier sealed the 2-0 victory in the 90+7th minute.
"We wanted to kill the game earlier. We had chances too. But in the end, we're happy to have won 2-0," said Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha post-match on Sky. Gladbach's Philipp Sander lamented: "In the end, we lacked decisiveness in the opponent's box".
The triumph coincided with the 116th anniversary of the club's founding and may ease recent tensions at BVB. Dortmund had secured only three wins in their previous nine obligatory matches. This home victory bolsters the team's standing in the league.