Borussia Dortmund's difficult season took another turn for the worse on Tuesday as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Bologna, significantly diminishing their chances of direct qualification to the Champions League last 16. Despite taking the lead early in the 15th minute with a classy chipped penalty from Serhou Guirassy, Dortmund were undone by two quick goals in the second half from Thijs Dallinga and Samuel Iling-Junior.
The loss marked Dortmund's fourth consecutive defeat across all competitions, leaving their prospects hanging in the balance.
The defeat puts added pressure on Dortmund's under-fire coach, Nuri Sahin, although his players showed solidarity with him after Guirassy's opening goal, gathering for a group hug in support.
Dortmund now sit on 12 points, just one shy of the top eight, but with other teams set to complete their penultimate league-phase matches on Wednesday, their hopes of progressing directly to the knockout round remain uncertain. Bologna, who secured their first-ever Champions League win, have five points and remain outside the playoff spots.
Bologna’s celebration following the historic win contrasted sharply with their pre-match frustrations. The Italian side felt hard done by after referee Serdar Gozubuyuk awarded Dortmund a penalty for a soft foul on Waldemar Anton, which led to Guirassy's opener.
Bologna were further aggrieved when a similar shirt tug on Dan Ndoye was not given as a penalty in the 19th minute, with the Swiss forward looking set to score from a Riccardo Orsolini cross. Despite these setbacks, Bologna gained momentum, dominating possession and coming close to scoring through Orsolini and Santiago Castro.
The loss of Orsolini to a potential hamstring injury 10 minutes before halftime did not slow Bologna’s resolve. They equalized in the 71st minute when Jens Odgaard set up Dallinga for a tap-in after a brilliant assist from Charalampos Lykogiannis.
Just seconds later, Bologna took the lead through Iling-Junior, who capitalized on a rebound after Dallinga's second attempt was saved by Dortmund’s goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. The win marked a historic achievement for Bologna, who had not participated in top-level continental competition since 1964.
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