After the final whistle, the Borussia Dortmund players had to endure a shrill concert of whistles. The Black and Yellows were unable to get beyond a 1-1 draw in their last home game of the year against relegation candidate Mainz 05 and were only able to win one of their last seven Bundesliga games.
Not enough for the runner-up, who now also has to worry about the minimum goal: BVB is only hibernating in 5th place – it is not yet clear whether there is enough place for Champions League qualification.
Borussia initially started the game dominantly and created numerous chances. Julian Brandt’s direct free kick in the 29th minute was the logical consequence of the superiority. But a carelessness shortly before half-time brought Mainz back into the game, Sepp van den Berg equalized in the 43rd minute. After the break, the guests turned up the heat, BVB seemed unsettled and hardly had any chances. So the draw after 90 minutes was fair.
There was also no winner in the other two Bundesliga games on Tuesday. First, Werder Bremen took a point from cup winners RB Leipzig in the early evening game. Justin Njinmah equalized the visitors’ lead in the 75th minute with a wonderful long-range shot. Immediately after the break, Loïs Openda put the Saxons in front.
TSG Hoffenheim also failed to win their home game against Darmstadt 98. Despite leading three times, in the end it was only enough for a 3:3. Double goalscorer Tim Skarke secured the point for the Hessians shortly before the end with his second goal, which should give Lilien coach Torsten Lieberknecht a somewhat quieter holiday season.
BVB coach Edin Terzic, on the other hand, has to worry about his job. Before Christmas, the club management around Hans-Joachim Watzke, sports director Sebastian Kehl and advisor Matthias Sammer will analyze the first half of the season together with Terzic. Everything should be on the table.
Will the trainer actually be called into question? After the disappointing draw against Mainz, Terzic went to the south stand and thanked the fans. It almost seemed like a farewell.
