Watzke announces to players: title favorite BVB shakes off fear of embarrassment

Suddenly Borussia Dortmund is the leader of the table. On the 33rd day of the Bundesliga they win 3-0 in Augsburg. The way there is like a marathon. When they suddenly lead, panic breaks out. Only one person stays cool: Sébastien Haller. The Ivorian scores again. BVB increases the drop height.

“Only BVB will be German champions,” chanted the Dortmund fans in the 84th minute of the game against FC Augsburg on the 33rd day of the 60th Bundesliga season. Yet it is not so far. But Sébastien Haller’s goal to make it 2-0 opened the door to the ninth Dortmund championship. The way to this probably unique opportunity was a crazy marathon. Over the entire season, as well as over the 90 minutes in Augsburg. Julian Brandt met there at the very end.

Marco Reus sank to the ground, pounded the pitch four times with his fists, Nico Schlotterbeck yelled: “Men, we will!” And coach Edin Terzić put a finger in the sky. A little later he spoke one of those sentences dripping with pathos that made Dortmund really believe in the championship. “The season will be over in seven days. Then the boys – they all earn good money – can buy whatever they want again. The next car, the next house, the next holiday – but you can’t buy these moments,” said the Sauerland, who came out of nowhere over BVB in December 2020, brought him the trophy and persistently waited for his second chance. He got that early in the season and Borussia stumbled under him.

Record shopping Haller was out of action with cancer. The Ivorian fought for more than goals and championships. He fought for everything. BVB struggled in the World Cup break. He didn’t even save himself, he was on the verge of decay. But the defeats in Wolfsburg and Gladbach triggered something. They came out of the World Cup break focused, Niklas Süle, the ex-Bayerman, was already talking about the championship before the first ball had been played. He was laughed at. The door to the title finally opened on Saturday.

BVB runs in vain

In Augsburg, BVB was not willing to deal with the fight with the sinking. Nevertheless, they danced precariously close to the abyss. As so often in this season, which Terzić would later describe as a “season of setbacks”. So it was understandable that nothing went according to plan for a long time, at least nothing that would bring the team closer to the title. BVB created chance over chance in the first half. Remained patient, always found gaps, just not the crucial one. Even played against 10 men from the 39th minute. Felix Uduokhai had to go after an emergency brake.

But what good is a man if the gates don’t fall? BVB threatened to fall into the old dilemma. While the nets magically attracted the shots in the Westfalenstadion, a mysterious power keeps them away away from home. This was shown this Sunday by goalkeeper Koubek or by extremely stupid shots. Like Julian Brandt’s curious attempt to solve a 1-1 situation with a shot against the goalkeeper who had rushed out of the penalty area. Nobody understood.

Everything came to a head in the 39th minute. Felix Uhdoukhai pinned Donyell Malen to the ground. The Augsburger was, not only the VAR saw that, the last man. Referee Tobias Welz had to send him off. Everything, really everything, was arranged for BVB. The question was how would they forgive it this time. Once before, a few weeks ago, they had won 2-0 against just ten men in Stuttgart and then 3-2 deep in injury time. In Augsburg the balance after 45 minutes read like this: 17:1 shots on goal and 2.47:0.02 expected goals.

BVB follows Bayern’s bankruptcy in the hotel

More silver platter was not possible. You just had to access it. Easy access. Take home the victory and slip away into the frenzy. 45 minutes left. The last chance for a long, long time. Blame or collect.

The final phase: When Emre Can outlined Arne Engels in the 47th minute, the big tremors began. Free kick from 25 meters. Central position. The BVB fans on the other side of the stadium sang against their fear. First quietly “Allez, allez, allez BVB”, then louder and louder. Header defence, corner, counterattack, not played. murmur. Louder and louder: “Allez, allez, allez BVB” He ran, he needed the goal more than anything else in the world at that moment. Augsburg countered, Hummels saved. Dortmund had long since dissolved their defense. There were almost 40 minutes left to play. Column on Raphael Guerrerio. The ball brushed past the post. Corner BVB. “Allez, allez, allez BVB.” Those were the possibly crucial minutes of this 60th Bundesliga season. BVB’s fate would be decided here and now.

The Dortmunders had spent the previous evening in their Augsburg hotel. They had arrived early to follow Bayern’s game. Because somewhere there was this last bit of hope. When the game in Munich was over, the remaining hope became much more. “You noticed from the start that there was pressure on the boiler,” said goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. “It was a big win today. But the work is not done yet.” They had taken the first step.

Waiting for salvation

The fans spent the hours before the game in the city’s beer gardens. They were all in yellow. But they were also tense. The match point against Mainz was on a silver platter. They hoped that the team would not be gripped by this fever as well. It was a legitimate concern. In the past few months they have been brilliant as pursuers and hesitant like their ex-coach Lucien Favre as the front runner. But unlike the 1-1 draw in Bochum at the end of April, they couldn’t hesitate any longer this time. They had to win.

The big dream of the championship, everyone knew, could turn into a huge nightmare at any time. Not this weekend, but on May 27th, when the huge party around Borsigplatz is supposed to take place.

Emre Can to the post. Haller could not fix the rebound. reassurance. And then the gate. A single scream. A “Jaaaaaaa” of relief from title-hungry throats. Sebastien Haller! He stole a second ball, was faster in the head and put it past Koubek at the far post. The goal originated at the far end of the field. Norway’s Julian Ryerson was adamant, demanding a free kick. handball. He got it. The ball went to the other wing. met Dortmund.

It was more than coincidence that Ryerson and Haller conjured up the goal. Both stand for the comeback of Borussia. “No matter what happens next week, the biggest miracle is that Seb is back with us this season. He’s a pure miracle,” Terzić said of the Ivorian, explaining how they had dealt with the ex-Frankfurter’s illness and how she had had developed a new style of play with him only in the last few weeks. “If your legs aren’t ready yet, you have to get faster in your head,” said Terzić, hoping that Haller would become “the deserved hero” of Dortmund’s champion story. Norwegian Ryerson won’t. He’s limited in terms of football, but brings an incredible mentality to the pitch. He came from Union Berlin in the winter and with him a new mentality.

Watzke makes an announcement to BVB players

The game could not be surpassed in madness anymore. The Dortmund players were afraid of history. They let themselves be taken by surprise. Substitute Irvin Cardona narrowly misses Kobel (63′). The balance of power on the pitch was balanced again. Almost panic-like conditions prevailed in the Dortmund game. The hosts did everything they could to send BVB off. Referee Welz smothered the fire with yellow cards, Terzić reacted. Withdrew Karim Adeyemi from a scuffle. He was one of the candidates for a red card.

However, his successor Salih Özcan immediately got involved. Still 15 minutes. Hummels gets the ball on the hand. penalty? Since Dortmund’s 3: 3 in Stuttgart, a team with a majority has not been so dominated. But Hummels was still on the pitch. He balanced the balls with the experience of all his championships from the penalty area. Only in the 80th minute did BVB come back in front of Augsburg’s goal and then Marco Reus came into play. The resistance was broken. Ironically, with Reus, who is said to never win the championship title in his life. First Haller scored, then Brandt. “Dortmund will be champions and Schalke will be relegated,” chanted the fans, the players jumped, Terzić warned and a cheerful BVB boss, Hans-Joachim Watzke, appeared in the catacombs.

“Home, 81,000 who will surely be over the moon,” he said on the way out of the dressing room. There he had only made one announcement: “Go through a week, regardless of losses!” They hope in Dortmund that they will only be recorded during the celebrations after the title. Borussia Dortmund has increased the drop enormously in Augsburg. Failure would be epic and set the club back years. But the rest of the country does not need to have great hopes of new malice.

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