A few weeks ago when Bayern Munich dropped points to an impressive Hoffenheim side, Borussia Dortmund were able to close the gap on the lead leaders to just four points. However, after a poor display and 1-1 draw against Köln on the weekend, is BVB’s title charge over before it had even begun?
Going into their game on Sunday against Steffen Baumgart’s side, Dortmund had the chance to maintain the pressure on Bayern and stay within touching distance. When the away side took the lead after just eight minutes through Marius Wolf, everything seemed to be going to plan. However, Köln are a team that rarely gives up and eventually found a deserved equaliser on the 36th minute via Sebastian Andersson.
In the second half, Dortmund were unable to break through the stubborn Köln defence who withstood a late flurry of chances. So many times this season, BVB have relied on their attacking prowess to get them out of trouble, especially after defensive mistakes. Though the Dortmund defence stood strong this time around, it was their strikers that were left lacking.
Erling Haaland had a couple of chances to put the game beyond Köln but couldn’t find his way past Marvin Schwäbe. Having recently come back from injury, you could forgive Haaland for not being at his best just yet.
Dortmund’s pursuit of Bayern doesn’t get much easier after the international break as they welcome RB Leipzig to Signal Iduna Park. BVB and Bayern are due to meet in April where a win for the Bavarians could all but seal their 10th Bundesliga title in a row.
