Borussia Dortmund crashed to a 2-1 loss to Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Saturday as Andrej Kramaric netted a stoppage-time winner for the hosts from the penalty spot.
That leaves Bayern Munich needing just a point tomorrow against Stuttgart to officially retain their league crown while the BVB's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League remained on ice.
Coming off a shock 1-0 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen, Die Borussen came into the fixture looking to pick themselves up but struggled to break down their sturdy hosts, who started on a stronger foot.
Fisnik Asllani tested Gregor Kobel with a shot within seconds of kick-off while Tim Lemperle rattled the crossbar a while later.
However, their real breakthrough arrived when Niklas Sule was penalized for a handball towards the end of the opening stanza and Kramaric stepped up to convert it.
Serhou Guirassy came off the bench to restore parity late on before Die Kraichgauer won a second spot-kick deep in stoppage-time, with Julian Ryerson found guilty of handball following a VAR review.
Kramaric came back to haunt Dortmund again, slicing his shot into the back of the net to make it 2-1 at the death as the BVB were beaten again.
Here are some important talking points:
Another late collapse
This is what keeps Dortmund from becoming champion material. On far too many occasions this season, the BVB have conceded late in the match, sometimes even in stoppage-time, to lose or draw.
After Guirassy had equalized, they should have tightened up their screws at the back to deny any late Hoffenheim comeback, but Dortmund refuse to learn their lessons from the past.
Guirassy shows why Dortmund need him
There have been rumors that Serhou Guirassy could be put on the transfer list this summer despite his blistering exploits as the club aims to raise funds to meet their summer requirements.
However, the Guinean hitman once again showed tonight what he's capable of, firing in a crucial equalizer by coming off the bench which nearly secured them a point.
Dortmund must be sick of Kramaric by now
Andrej Kramaric loves scoring against Borussia Dortmund. He had bagged nine goals against the side coming into tonight's game, the most by a player in this rivalry.
Tonight, the Croatian ace netted twice more, both from the penalty spot displaying his clinical dead-ball speciality. He's now scored each of his last 17 penalty kicks.
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