Tired Borussia Dortmund fall to deserved 2-1 defeat against Stuttgart

Borussia Dortmund were completed outplayed by VfB Stuttgart and ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat, with the returning Serhou Guirassy scoring the winning goal.

After Borussia Dortmund made it five wins in a row in the Bundesliga last month, Edin Terzic claimed that they are focusing on playing ‘less sexy and more success-oriented’ football. The Black and Yellows have yet to win a game in the league since.

That lacklustre run in the Bundesliga continued on Saturday, as BVB could only muster up one shot on target and ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat to Stuttgart.

Borussia Dortmund were second best from the very first whistle, and the margin of defeat would have been a lot bigger had it not been for some heroic goalkeeping from Gregor Kobel.

But ultimately, even a superhuman effort from Borussia Dortmund’s number one wasn’t enough as Stuttgart claimed a well deserved victory. Deniz Undav and Serhou Guirassy were on target for Stuttgart, as they turned the game on its head after Niclas Füllkrug had given BVB a shock lead.

Terzic resisted the urge to make wholesale changes and decided to stick with the starting XI that claimed a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on Tuesday. But the plan back-fired spectacularly as Borussia Dortmund looked timid and tired after their mid-week exploits.

Stuttgart had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the tenth minute after Gregor Kobel fouled Deniz Undav inside the box. But the Swiss shot-stopper saved Chris Führich’s penalty and kept the scores level. The home side kept piling on the pressure but Kobel stood firm to deny his former club time and time again.

And in real smash and grab fashion, it was Borussia Dortmund who took the lead with their first shot of the game. Niclas Füllkrug had the simplest of tap-ins after Stuttgart failed to deal with Julian Ryerson’s low cross.

BVB’s luck finally ran out in the 42nd minute as Undav took advantage of more calamitous defending and made it 1-1.

The story of the second-half was more of the same, with Stuttgart creating and missing chances or forcing Gregor Kobel into action. But Kobel gave away another penalty in the 82nd minute, and Serhou Guirassy stepped up to give Stuttgart the lead from the spot.

Borussia Dortmund couldn’t muster up a late chance and fell to a 2-1 defeat in the end. They now find themselves eight points behind Bayern Munich going into the international break, and the manner of the defeat to Stuttgart means that questions will rightly be asked of the players and head coach in the coming days.