Borussia Dortmund secured a second-place finish in the Bundesliga after winning their last home game of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt. Three players have played their last match as BVB players in front of the famed Yellow Wall, while Samuele Inacio scored his first-ever Bundesliga goal.
Michael Zetterer was the busiest goalkeeper in the first-half, but it was after Can Uzun put the visitors ahead in the second minute. Ex-Dortmund midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud, who was playing for the first time since the defeat in Bayern back in February, created the chance with a mazy dribble before Uzun’s composed finish.
The 20-year-old scored in back-to-back games for the first time since starting the season with goals in each of the first five weeks. The Turkish international also scored when these two teams drew in a six-goal thriller when the league resumed from the winter break in January.
Zetterer’s first save denied a first Dortmund goal for Samuele Inacio. Minutes later, Julian Brandt tried his luck for a goal on his last home game for Dortmund, but Frankfurt’s goalkeeper came out victorious once again.
The hosts continued to dominate possession before their effort was rewarded in the last five minutes of the half. First, Serhou Guirassy provided a stunning finish from Julian Ryerson’s excellent cross.
The Guinean international scored his 80th Bundesliga strike as he looks to end the campaign in fine form. On the other hand, Ryerson, who is still looking for his first goal of the season, provided his 14th assist of the league campaign.
Just before half-time, German internationals Maximilian Beier and Nico Schlotterbeck combined for Dortmund’s second goal of the night. It was the first goal by Schlotterbeck since his contract renewal drew mixed reactions in Dortmund’s fanbase due to a reportedly cheap release clause.
The second-half lacked energy from both sides for a long spell. Farès Chaïbi managed to put the ball in the net ten minutes into the half, but he was clearly in an offside position. The next big chance saw Gregor Kobel denying Frankfurt’s goal scorer with a routine save.
Dortmund created very little at the other end, but Inacio did finally manage to get his first goal in the 72nd minute. The Italian midfielder, who celebrated his 18th birthday last month, scored with a composed finish as the assist came from Beier once again.
Felix Nmecha and Karim Adeyemi came on a couple of minutes later for their first appearances since returning from injuries. Salih Özcan and Niklas Süle also substituted on for their last minutes at Signal Iduna Park as Dortmund players.
However, Frankfurt suddenly found a lifeline in the closing stages of the game. Jonathan Burkardt reduced the deficit after Kobel’s initial save to deny fellow substitute Ansgar Knauff. However, the visitors didn’t do enough to force a late equalizer to repeat the 3-3 scoreline from January.
Dortmund are certain to finish second ahead of RB Leipzig after winning their last home game of the season. Niko Kovac’s side have lost three of the previous four games before tonight. It’s the fifth successive year in which BVB will end their campaign without a trophy, while they were knocked out of both the Champions League and DFB-Pokal relatively early this season.
If Freiburg beat either Hamburg or RB Leipzig, Frankfurt will finish in eighth place. That will not be enough for Albert Riera’s team to qualify for the Conference League, unless Freiburg (again) win the Europa League and proceed to play in the Champions League for the first time in their history.