Borussia Dortmund were beaten 1-0 by Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday as Robert Andrich's strike left them trailing leaders Bayern Munich by 12 points with only five games remaining.
Having ousted the BVB from the cup in November, Leverkusen came back to haunt them at the Signal Iduna Park with an identical victory, now their third in a row at the stadium.
Niko Kovac's side had attempted 13 shots in the game, but none were on target, as they failed to break down their stoic visitors on a disappointing night.
Chances came few and far between, while their defense was caught asleep at the wheel as Andrich capitalized on the large gaps in their backline to strike one in from range.
It was only their third loss of the season, but ends Dortmund's wafter-thin hopes of catching up with Bayern once and for all as the holders need just four points now to retain the Meisterschale.
Unlike in their recent clashes, their substitutes couldn't inspire them either as Die Werkself held firm to keep their mighty hosts at bay, and ended their four-game winning streak in the Bundesliga.
Here are the player ratings for Dortmund:
Gregor Kobel - 6.5: Made three saves, but there was nothing he could about Andrich's strike
Waldemar Anton - 7: Confident and reliable for the most part; fought hard for the ball, winning five of his six tackles while also making three clearances
Nico Schlotterbeck - 8: A warrior-like figure in defense, always looking to stop Leverkusen in their tracks by jumping into tackles or clearing any lingering danger; four interceptions, clearances and recoveries each while boasting a 95% passing accuracy
Ramy Bensebaini - 5: Misplaced a pass that led to Leverkusen's winner
Julian Ryerson - 7.5: Once again the chief supplier of crosses for the more advanced players but none of that could come to fruition; nine in total
Marcel Sabitzer - 7: The Austrian wasn't too far behind, laying four crosses of his own to emerge as a threat for Leverkusen
Jobe Bellingham - 6.5: Was more involved defensively and struggled to get forward much
Julian Brandt - 6.5: Asked questions of his former side's defense with four shots but none were clinical enough to find the back of the net
Daniel Svensson - 5.5: A marginal figure for most of the time; Kovac put him out of his misery just before the hour mark
Fabio Silva - 5.5: Nothing much to see from him either besides a few good passes
Serhou Guirassy - 6: He's been instrumental in popping up with valuable goals but inconsistency is a big problem
Substitutes
Maximilian Beier - 6
Carney Chukwuemeka - 7
Samuele Inacio - 6.5
Almugera Kabar - 5.5
Salih Ozcan - 6