Borussia Dortmund seal Champions League qualification with 3-1 win over Mainz

Borussia Dortmund will be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season after goals from Raphael Guerreiro, Marco Reus and Julian Brandt helped them earn a 3-1 win over Mainz 05.

Needing a win to secure their place in the top four, Borussia Dortmund made a strong start to the game and dominated possession right from the off. Edin Terzic made two changes to the side that won the DFB-Pokal final on Thursday, with Thomas Meunier and Gio Reyna coming into the team for Lukasz Piszczek and Emre Can.

Jude Bellingham and Gio Reyna both had half-chances to open the scoring, but it was Raphael Guerreiro who made it 1-0 midway through the first half. The Portuguese international curled a sublime effort past the reach of Finn Dahmen after being fed by Jadon Sancho.

Marco Reus then doubled Borussia Dortmund’s lead on the stroke of half time. Sancho was involved once again, as he danced his way into the box before finding Reus, who turned the ball into the net.

The start of the second half was delayed by 15 minutes due to heavy rain and stormy conditions in Mainz. The home side began the second half on the front foot. But Roman Bürki stood firm to ensure that they weren’t able to claw their way back into the game.

And substitute Julian Brandt then put the game beyond Mainz’ reach in the 80th minute after some good play by Erling Haaland.

Mainz did manage to pull a goal back in the 91st minute, when Robin Quaison scored from the spot after a Thorgan Hazard handball. But it was nothing more than a consolation goal, as the Black and Yellows sealed the three points and booked their berth in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Sealing a place in the top four with a game to spare is a remarkable achievement for Borussia Dortmund, considering they were seven points off the pace just six games ago.