Post Match Reaction: Dortmund Squander their Opportunity to Become German Champions

Dortmund Claim Second Place.

Where do I begin? This is NOT the Post-Match Reaction that I was hoping to write. This was Dortmund’s title to lose, and they’ve done just that. Losing the league to the record champions on goal-differential feels like a sucker punch to the gonads. Marco Reus deserves to win this league and I’m heartbroken that this team couldn't finish the season with a home win. 29 shots weren't enough win this, and credit must be given to the Mainz defense for snuffing out so many promising opportunities. Karim Adeyemi could barely get himself into this match, and he’s the fastest player in the league. Donny Malen has been in his sharpest form since joining BVB, but even he couldn't make a difference. The pieces of Edin Terzić’s puzzle did not come together yesterday.

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Paper-Thin Margins

Recent weeks have shown just how close this title race was going to be, and Leipzig’s win over Bayern last weekend felt like the life-line BVB needed to secure championship glory. In this match alone, Haller’s penalty was saved and Dortmund should have been awarded another, if VAR had been properly utilized. Dortmund missed out on a clear PK against Bochum recently that could have altered the course of both that match and the title-race. With margins this thin, one must question the reliability of DFB officials to properly manage important matches. The title is on the line, and we’re stuck with Marco Fritz? Seriously? I can name more Bundesliga referees that are terrible than the ones who actually call fair games. I’m not suggesting match-fixing, but blatant incompetence. That being said, I do not blame this outcome on the officiating as Dortmund had more than enough chances to make something happen. We can’t rely on reasonable officiating and we can’t rely on other teams to beat Bayern.

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A Glimpse of the Future?

One thing that I’m trying to remind myself is that when the season began, nobody expected Dortmund to challenge for the title. When the World Cup finished, nobody expected Dortmund to challenge for the title either.

With a cluster of new players arriving last summer, achieving squad cohesion could doubtfully be achieved in less than a season. The Hindrunde finished with Dortmund in 6th place. The second half of the season saw the addition of Julian Ryerson, and the debut of Sebastian Haller. Young blood like Adeyemi has found his form in recent weeks and there seems to be a great partnership forming between Adeyemi, Haller and Malen that I think will continue to grow next season. Nico Schlotterbeck and Niklas Süle have added new strength to our central defense, and fresh contracts from veterans Mats Hummels and Marco Reus ensure this squad retains this leadership. Julian Brandt, who has also found some of his best form this season, also signed a new contract a couple months back. Even watching the 17-year-old, Julian Duranville play today was highly promising. Though it’s highly likely this squad loses Jude Bellingham this summer, I don’t see BVB losing any other players who have consistently been in the starting XI. In addition, this club hasn't seen a manager this passionate since Klopp; Edin Terzić has my backing (for whatever that’s worth) to win trophies with Dortmund. This was supposed to be a rebuilding season... so how will Dortmund look next season?

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Let’s try to stay positive!