Borussia Dortmund secured a commanding 4-0 victory over Freiburg, officially clinching their spot in next season’s Champions League. The win came after last week’s defeat to Hoffenheim and Bayern’s subsequent triumph over Stuttgart, which decided the Bundesliga title in favor of the Bavarian side. However, Kovac’s team did not let up, crushing Freiburg to mathematically guarantee their place in Europe’s top competition.
As reported by MARCA this week, Atlético Madrid has set its sights on Julian Brandt as a potential replacement for Antoine Griezmann. Beyond his return to the starting lineup alongside Bensebaini and Guirassy, the biggest surprise was the first start of Samuele Inacio, a talent destined to become the face of Italy’s future. Niko Kovac also rested Daniel Svensson on the left flank, handing a spot to attacker Max Beier, who set up Bensebaini for a fine finish in the 10th minute, slotting past Atubolu with a delicate shot into the far post.
Dortmund looked sharp, and before the first quarter-hour mark, Guirassy capped a counterattack to make it 2-0. Inacio elegantly drove down the left, lifted his head, and found Julian Brandt on the opposite side, who delivered a soft cross for the Guinean striker to finish. The young Italian talent was eager to impress, constantly offering himself for the ball and accelerating attacks, even attempting set pieces. However, it was from a corner taken by Ryerson and headed home by Bensebaini in the 31st minute that put the game to bed at 3-0.
With the scoreline already decided, Freiburg headed into halftime with their minds on their Europa League semifinal first leg against Braga. They could have pulled one back through Kluber, but his goal was ruled out for offside after a free kick from Grifo. Dortmund immediately had two clear chances to extend their lead, but Bensebaini from another corner and Inacio from close range failed to find the net. The Signal Iduna Park gave Inacio a thunderous ovation as he left the field, with the Dortmund faithful eager for a new ‘wonderkid’ to adore.
The crowd’s reaction was far more muted when Brandt and Guirassy were substituted. Chukwuemeka and Fábio Silva came on, with the latter turning in the box to score the fourth goal, his second in the league. A tough loss for Freiburg, who missed the chance to close the gap on Riera’s Eintracht in seventh place, which could offer European qualification. There was still time for the Signal Iduna Park to witness the debut of Mathis Albert (2009).
