Borussia Dortmund mounted an impressive comeback to defeat Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 away from home on Sunday, keeping their hopes of securing a top-four finish in the Bundesliga alive ahead of the final round of fixtures.
After a slow start to the season that saw them languishing in 11th place, Dortmund have surged up the table, winning six of their last seven matches to climb to fifth, just one point adrift of fourth-placed Freiburg.
With 54 points, they remain in contention for an automatic Champions League spot, which is reserved for the league’s top four teams.
Despite their strong form, Dortmund fell behind in the 31st minute when Leverkusen’s Jeremie Frimpong broke the deadlock, delighting the home fans in what was coach Xabi Alonso’s last game at the BayArena.
The Spanish tactician, who took charge in October 2022, had earlier revealed he would step down at the end of the season, having guided the team to an unbeaten domestic double and a Europa League final.
Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made a series of vital saves to keep the visitors in the contest during a first half dominated by the hosts. But Leverkusen’s opener sparked a turnaround.
Just two minutes later, Dortmund struck back with Julian Brandt calmly finishing from a Karim Adeyemi cutback.
The momentum shifted firmly in Dortmund’s favor, and by the 43rd minute, they were ahead, Julian Ryerson finishing off a move created by pressing high and reclaiming possession in the opposition half.
Leverkusen’s sloppy play continued into the second half. In the 73rd minute, another misplaced possession allowed Marcel Sabitzer to release the electric Adeyemi, who made it 3-1.
Moments later, Serhou Guirassy added a fourth in the 77th minute, scoring his 20th league goal of the campaign.
Leverkusen managed a consolation in stoppage time through Jonas Hofmann, but the damage was done.
Next weekend, Dortmund will close out their season at home against already-relegated Holstein Kiel, aiming to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.
Meanwhile, newly crowned champions Bayern Munich celebrated in style on Saturday, having already wrapped up the title a week earlier, with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.
