Borussia Dortmund rescued a point in the Bundesliga top match against RB Leipzig with a late 2:2 (0:2) draw. After trailing 0:2 at halftime, the visitors equalized via an own goal and Fábio Silva's strike. The result extends BVB's unbeaten run to 16 games.
In the Red Bull Arena before 47,800 spectators, Leipzig dominated the first half clearly. Christoph Baumgartner scored the lead in the 20th minute after a cross from Yan Diomande and made it 2:0 in the 39th minute with an assist from David Raum. The Austrian thus netted his tenth Bundesliga goal of the season and became the hosts' hero.
Borussia Dortmund, hampered by injuries to Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle, Emre Can and others, gave 18-year-old Luca Reggiani his starting debut in defense. Coach Niko Kovač started Marcel Sabitzer in the attacking midfield instead of Julian Brandt. Early chances, like a shot from Maximilian Beier in the 8th minute, were stopped by goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt, who replaced the injured Peter Gulacsi. Gulacsi commented at halftime: “We brought energy onto the pitch and made two very nice goals.”
In the second half, a corner from Julian Ryerson in the 50th minute brought the 1:2. Willi Orbán deflected unintentionally, and Rômulo headed the own goal. RB Leipzig missed opportunities through Yan Diomande (67th) and Ridle Baku (73rd), who rounded Gregor Kobel but was cleared by Rami Bensebaini. In the 90+5th minute, Karim Adeyemi assisted after a long ball from Julian Brandt, and Fábio Silva scored his first Bundesliga goal to make it 2:2.
Dortmund remains second with 52 points, eight behind FC Bayern München. RB Leipzig holds fourth or fifth place and has not won two games in a row for over three months. BVB stays unbeaten in six away games against Leipzig, with five prior wins. Niko Kovač does not beat coach Ole Werner. Yan Diomande showed his strength with eight goals, six assists, and over 30 sprints. RB chief Oliver Mintzlaff said: “I want to reach the Champions League with the team.”
