Dortmund holds on with 10 men for 1st away win in Bundesliga
Dortmund's Julian Brandt, centre applauds Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy after his goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund, in Wolfsburg, Germany, Sunday Dec. 22, 2024. Credit: AP/Swen Pförtner
BERLIN — Borussia Dortmund held on after Pascal Groß’ sending off to beat Wolfsburg 3-1 for its first Bundesliga away win of the season on Sunday.
Donyell Malen got the visitors off the mark with a volley to a corner in the 25th, three minutes before Julian Brandt played in Maximilian Beier to score Dortmund’s second goal. Beier, who scored with the outside of his boot in off the left post, celebrated with a throwing-dart gesture.
Beier returned the favor for Brandt to score Dortmund’s third two minutes after that.
Wolfsburg improved drastically after the break, when coach Ralph Hasenhüttl made two changes, including sending on Lukas Nmecha to face his brother Felix Nmecha, who was playing for Dortmund.
Denis Vavro pulled one back in the 58th, four minutes before Groß was sent off for a foul on Lukas Nmecha when the Wolfsburg forward was through on goal.
The home team pushed hard but Dortmund managed to hold on to ease the pressure on coach Nuri Sahin.
Dortmund climbed to sixth ahead of the league’s winter break.
Dortmund's Emre Can, left, and Wolfsburg's Jonas Wind fight for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund, in Wolfsburg, Germany, Sunday Dec. 22, 2024. Credit: AP/Swen Pförtner
Earlier, bottom club Bochum defeated relegation rival Heidenheim 2-0 for its first win of the season in the league. It was the visitors’ seventh straight Bundesliga defeat, the culmination of a busy schedule after clinching European qualification from its league debut last season and the offseason loss of star players like Jan-Niklas Beste, Tim Kleindienst and Eren Dinkci.
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