Despite leading 2-0 at one point, Borussia Dortmund were held to a 3-3 (2-0) away draw by 10-man VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 28 of the Bundesliga season. After Reyna had made it 3-2 in stoppage time, Stuttgart restored parity with the final kick of the game.

Boris Rupert reporting from Stuttgart

The 47,900 spectators at the sold-out construction site that is the Mercedes-Benz-Arena saw BVB end the first half not only with a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Haller (26) and Malen (33), but with an extra player too after Mavropanos’ dismissal for two bookings in the 40th minute. Bellingham and Reus struck the Stuttgart bar and by the time Coulibaly pulled it back to 2-1 (78), it had been a totally open game for some time. Reyna re-established the BVB lead in added time after Vagnoman had equalised at 2-2 in the 84th minute, but Silas denied the Black & Yellows the win with the final kick of the game.

The scenario:   
It was a match-up between second and 16th in the table. The Black & Yellows had won 10 of their previous 12 meetings with the Swabians and had more away wins against them than against any other club (16 in 52 away games). Stuttgart had won their first two competitive matches since the change in the dugout.

Personnel matters:   
The two central defenders Schlotterbeck (fibre tear) and Süle (muscular problems) were ruled out through injury; Wolf and Reyna, who missed the Union game a week ago, were available once again but started among the substitutes. Özcan was the only new face in the team…

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Tactics:   
…and took over the holding midfield role from Can – who dropped back into central defence alongside Hummels – in the Black & Yellows’ 4-3-3 formation. Brandt and Bellingham served as the engine room in the wider midfield positions and were supported in possession by Malen and Adeyemi out wide. Stuttgart lined up in a 3-4-2-1 system, predominantly attacked down the left flank via the lively Führich and transitioned back into a 5-4-1 formation off the ball.

The match & analysis:
Following a hectic start with numerous misplaced passes by both teams and after a brutal but unpunished foul on Can by Guirassy (2), Stuttgart created their first half-chance for the centre-forward, who miskicked the ball on the edge of the six-yard box (10). There was then a big opportunity in the 10th minute for Haller, whose effort from Guerreiro’s cutback was kept out by the outstretched arm of VfB goalkeeper Bredlow. BVB then enjoyed a brief spell in the ascendancy, moving the ball and their opponents around, but from the 20th minute onwards the Swabians were able to play their way out again, pressed higher and increasingly took the game into the Dortmund half.

It was during this phase that BVB scored the important opener. Bellingham played it down the right flank to Malen, who created himself half a yard of space against Anton down by the corner flag and fizzed a low ball in for Haller. The striker beat Zagadou to the ball and fired it home off the underside of the bar (26). At the other end, Führich provided an injection of pace and passed to Guirassy, who skipped past Ryerson’s challenge on the edge of the box but was denied by Kobel’s strong reactions (30).

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The momentum constantly changed hands, with the numbers – 5-4 shots for VfB before the break – showing this. The big difference: BVB took their chances. Malen retrieved the ball on the edge of the box after Brandt’s corner had been cleared and initially seemed surrounded, but persevered energetically and fired a low shot from 14 metres out into the VfB goal for 2-0 (33). After fouls on Adeyemi (35) and Malen (40), who had both broken through, Mavropanos was sent off for two bookings. Malen did not fully connect with Bellingham’s cross in the 42nd minute, which enabled Bredlow to step in.

BVB brought on Bundesliga debutant Coulibaly in place of Hummels at the interval and could have set themselves on the path to victory early on. But Bellingham struck the crossbar (49); then Brandt initiated a counter-attack and Adeyemi teed up Guerreiro perfectly in the penalty area, only for Anton to thwart the shot with a last-ditch block (52). Stuttgart – a man down and playing with a back four in a 4-4-1 formation – were soon celebrating a goal by Guirassy, who was brilliantly teed up by Millot, but his goal was ruled out. The VfB forward had been narrowly offside.

The Black & Yellows took the warning seriously and – a good opportunity for Silas aside (65) – initially went about their business with more consistency and focus. Reus, who had come off the bench, failed to beat Bredlow after a great move, with Malen then shooting narrowly wide of the far post a little later.

Stuttgart would not be beaten and it remained an open game with numerous incidents in both boxes. Immediately after Reus had struck the bar with a free-kick (77), Stuttgart’s Coulibaly made it 2-1 with a shot that took a deflection off Can (78). Vagnoman was unmarked from a corner but headed well wide (81). But three minutes later, the ball fell to Vagnoman again following another corner-kick and he levelled at 2-2. BVB now threw everything forward – and made it 3-2 in the third minute of stoppage time. After Bynoe-Gittens’ shot had been blocked, Reyna was the quickest to react and slotted home from eight metres out. But the game was not yet over. Vagnoman received the ball on the right wing and crossed sharply into the middle. The ball slipped through to the unmarked Silas, who levelled at 3-3 from a central position (90+7).

Outlook:
BVB are next up against Eintracht Frankfurt at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK next Saturday (18:30 CET).

Teams & goals

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Bundesliga Matchday 28
VFB STUTTGART 3-3 (0-2) BORUSSIA DORTMUND

VfB Stuttgart: Bredlow – Mavropanos, Zagadou, Anton – Vagnoman, Karazor, Endo, Sosa – Millot (T. Coulibaly, 74), Führich (Silas, 62) – Guirassy (Tiago Tomas, 74)
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Ryerson, Can, Hummels (S. Coulibaly, 46), Guerreiro – Özcan – Bellingham, Brandt (Reus, 63) – Malen (Bynoe-Gittens, 69), Haller (Moukoko, 63), Adeyemi (Reyna, 81)
Substitutes: Müller, Perea, Katomba, Stenzel, Haraguchi, Egloff, Bastiao – Meyer, Dahoud, Wolf, Modeste
Goals: 0-1 Haller (Malen, 26), 0-2 Malen (33), 1-2 T. Coulibaly (78), 2-2 Vagnoman (84), 2-3 Reyna (Bynoe-Gittens, 90+3), 3-3 Silas (Vagnoman, 90+7)
Corners: 5-7 (3-2 at half-time), chance ratio: 8-10 (2-4)
Referee: Osmers (Hanover), red card: Mavropanos (repeated foul play, 40), yellow cards: Endo, Tiago Tomas – Bellingham, Reus, Reyna
Attendance: 47,900 (sold-out), weather: rainy, 11 degrees