Borussia Dortmund left it late but snatched a dramatic 1-0 victory over Cologne at Signal Iduna Park, thanks to substitute Maximilian Beier’s stoppage-time heroics that kept their Bundesliga title hopes alive.
For much of the evening, it seemed Dortmund would have to settle for a frustrating goalless draw, with clear chances at a premium despite their dominance.
Cologne almost struck first in the 19th minute when Said El Mala squandered a golden opportunity, dragging his shot wide with only Gregor Kobel to beat.
After the interval, Serhou Guirassy came close to breaking the deadlock, only to see his close-range effort denied by Marvin Schwäbe.
The visiting goalkeeper then kept out efforts from Felix Nmecha and Julian Brandt as Dortmund piled on the pressure.
Just when a stalemate appeared inevitable, Dortmund’s substitutes combined to deliver a late twist.
In the 96th minute, Fabio Silva slipped a clever pass to Beier, who coolly slotted home to send the Yellow Wall into raptures.
The result extended Dortmund’s unbeaten home run to 10 matches across all competitions and ensured they stayed within striking distance of Bayern Munich, who earlier cruised to a 3-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
With RB Leipzig thrashing Augsburg 6-0, Beier’s late strike proved vital in keeping Dortmund firmly in the title race.
Cologne, meanwhile, endured a night to forget, failing to register a single shot on target in a Bundesliga game for the first time since March 2024.
