Post-Match Report

Sebastian Kehl on Hoffenheim and the hopes for Europe

After a turbulent 107 minutes of football, sporting director Sebastian Kehl spoke about the significance of the important 3-2 win at TSG Hoffenheim and the prospects for the final stages of the season.

Sebastian Kehl on the match:
“We could have taken a 2-0 lead with the penalty, had a few chances on the counter later on, then conceded the equaliser late in the game and won it at the last second. Of course, you can discuss the situation, and we probably will. Nevertheless, these three points are absolutely crucial in the battle for a place in Europe. And if we want to finish in the top four, we simply need wins. It was also clear that this matchday would be a very important one, given the other games going on around us. We did what we had to do.”

... on the progress made in recent weeks:
“We've been on the right track, and the wins obviously help to calm things down and keep us hungry. We now have an important home game against Wolfsburg. Every game counts for us. Every win is extremely important for us in this situation.”

...on the impact of the last-minute win:
“It keeps things exciting. Today was a super important game for us. Winning it like this has to give us additional strength for the coming weeks. It has to give us so much energy! We have to keep believing – then we can get it done. If we win all three games, we have a great chance of playing in the Champions League next season.”

... on Julian Brandt's performance:
“He responded really well. There are few players in our squad who have the shooting technique to convert a cross like that. And he does it brilliantly. Jule is a very, very important player for this team, and he showed that again today.” (br)

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24/25, Bundesliga, Bundesligasaison, Trainingsauftakt
Donnerstag 11.07.2024, 1. Fussball - Bundesliga Saison 24/25 - Training in Dortmund, .BV Borussia Dortmund - Trainingsauftakt - .Felix Nmecha (BVB)..Copyright:.Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA.Rheinlanddamm 207-209.44137 Dortmund..(NO IPTC-stripping allowed).EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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In a wild and emotional match that was combatively contested by both teams, the Borussia ladies succumbed to a 32-26 (16-11) defeat to HSG Blomberg-Lippe in front of 1,370 spectators at Halle Wellinghofen and will now take part in the third-place play-off next Saturday. Their opponents will be determined in the match between HB Ludwigsburg and Thüringer HC on Sunday afternoon. \n<\/p>\n","title":"Teaser Text","multiValue":false,"value":"In the end, it was not enough to achieve the dream of reaching the final of the German Championship play-offs. In a wild and emotional match that was combatively contested by both teams, the Borussia ladies succumbed to a 32-26 (16-11) defeat to HSG Blomberg-Lippe in front of 1,370 spectators at Halle Wellinghofen and will now take part in the third-place play-off next Saturday. Their opponents will be determined in the match between HB Ludwigsburg and Thüringer HC on Sunday afternoon.","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"It looked for a long time as though BVB would suffer a clear defeat. They were five goals behind at the break and seven goals behind on the 40-minute mark (22-15). But the exhilarating final phase belonged to BVB, who narrowed the deficit to three goals when they made it 24-21 in the 50th minute. The fans celebrated, Halle Wellinghofen shook. But that was as good as it got. The final consistency was missing. BVB never gave up and fought until the last second but could not compensate for the numerous absences in the way they had hoped. The personnel loss was too great, the alternative options too few.<\/p>\nThe scenario:<\/b> BVB won the first semi-final in Dortmund by a 37-30 scoreline a week ago, before losing the return fixture in Blomberg 27-25 this Wednesday. A third match was therefore necessary to determine which of the two teams would go through to the final. Not only the two semi-finals but also their two league matches in the regular season had been even encounters. BVB narrowly won the first meeting in Dortmund 22-21 in September, then suffered a relatively clear 29-25 loss in Blomberg.<\/p>\nPersonnel matters: <\/b>As has already been in the case in recent weeks, head coach Henk Groener was without a whole host of key performers. Lena Hausherr has been sidelined with a torn cruciate ligament for months. Goalkeeper Sarah Wachter has been suffering from a muscular tear, while pivot Emma Olsson has a knee injury. Captain Alicia Langer broke her finger in Metzingen. Maraike Kusian was absent due to tonsilitis. And shortly before the match got under way, goalkeeper Tess Lieder withdrew from contention. She had been substituted with an injury in the 49th minute in Blomberg on Wednesday after taking a hit to the face, and was replaced by goalkeeping coach Clara Woltering. Only the previously injured Lena Degenhardt returned.<\/p>\n<img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/de/news/2025/05/17/spielbericht-handball/Campos-Blomberg.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Campos-Blomberg-1747581843779\"><\/p>\nThe match & analysis: <\/b>BVB were fully alert from the beginning and made intelligent use of space via Kelly Vollebregt out wide, but quickly fell behind nonetheless. Blomberg found themselves 5-3 up after seven minutes. By the 10-minute mark, the score stood at 5-5 following a spectacular Lois Abbingh goal from the back of the court.<\/p>\nBoth teams did not give each other an inch from the start and contested an intense match on equal footing. The fact that BVB could not manage to take the lead was in part down to the strong HSG goalie Melanie Veith and HSG's aggressive defending, which increasingly caused BVB problems. Neither team had managed to pull away decisively by the 15th minute. But the picture changed after almost 20 minutes, with Spaniard Pena upping the score to 11-7 via a seven-metre throw.<\/p>\nBlomberg pulled away in a very short space of time, while BVB could not pick out any gaps in Blomberg's defence after the first time-out and completely lost their way. This was compounded by several passing errors that Blomberg exploited perfectly via Alexia Hauf. After Nieke Kühne's second goal, it was already 14-8 to Blomberg in the 25th minute. The deficit stood at five goals at the break, with the score 16-11.<\/p>\nBVB were caught napping at the start of the second half, quickly conceded two goals and were 18-11 behind early on (33). When Kelly Vollebregt had to leave the court for two minutes and BVB were without a keeper, Alexia Hauf increased the deficit to 19-12. The Black & Yellows initially could not narrow the gap, even though Deborah Lassource and Carmen Campos defended offensively and disrupted Nieke Kühne's space. Kelly Vollebregt then made it 23-18 in the 45th minute.<\/p>\nThere was a glimmer of hope when Deborah Lassource scored to make it 24-20 in the 48th minute. When Lisa Antl made it 24-21 shortly afterwards, BVB were back within striking distance. But Blomberg recovered from their slump. The game was over by the time Nieke Kühne made it 30-24 at the latest (58). BVB had run out of steam and lost the belief they could win. By the time Lisa Antl scored to make it 32-26, the dream of reaching the final was finally over. <\/p>\nReactions: <\/b><\/p>\nLisa Antl:<\/b> \u201cWe did not put into practice what we set out to do. Like in Blomberg on Wednesday. We have an extremely small squad, Blomberg capitalised on that and performed superbly.\u201d<\/p>\nHenk Groener:<\/b> \u201c32 goals is far too many to concede. We did not embrace the challenges in defence, HSG were better in that regard. When we were then within three goals in the 50th minute, we made two or three simple mistakes. After that, the belief was gone.\u201d<\/p>\nAndreas Kuno:<\/b> \u201cWe lost the match in the first half. We allowed Kühne, Quist and Hauf to get into their flow. In the end, we were then simply lacking consistency.\u201d<\/p>\nOutlook:<\/b> The third-place play-off will take place on Saturday 24 May. The opponents will not be determined until HB Ludwigsburg and Thüringer HC go head-to-head at 16:00 CEST on Sunday. In the event Ludwigsburg lose the third semi-final, then the match would be played in Ludwigsburg. In the event Thüringer HC lose and go up against BVB in the battle for third place, BVB would have home advantage.<\/p>\nWomen's handballers:<\/b> Woltering, Muth; Abbingh (2), Campos (5), Antl (3), Degenhardt (1), van Maurik, Lassource (4/1), Sasaki (1), Husebo (2), Vollebregt (7), Egeling, Heimann, Bleckmann (1)<\/p>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"It looked for a long time as though BVB would suffer a clear defeat. They were five goals behind at the break and seven goals behind on the 40-minute mark (22-15). But the exhilarating final phase belonged to BVB, who narrowed the deficit to three goals when they made it 24-21 in the 50th minute. The fans celebrated, Halle Wellinghofen shook. But that was as good as it got. The final consistency was missing. BVB never gave up and fought until the last second but could not compensate for the numerous absences in the way they had hoped. The personnel loss was too great, the alternative options too few.<\/p>\nThe scenario:<\/b> BVB won the first semi-final in Dortmund by a 37-30 scoreline a week ago, before losing the return fixture in Blomberg 27-25 this Wednesday. A third match was therefore necessary to determine which of the two teams would go through to the final. Not only the two semi-finals but also their two league matches in the regular season had been even encounters. BVB narrowly won the first meeting in Dortmund 22-21 in September, then suffered a relatively clear 29-25 loss in Blomberg.<\/p>\nPersonnel matters: <\/b>As has already been in the case in recent weeks, head coach Henk Groener was without a whole host of key performers. Lena Hausherr has been sidelined with a torn cruciate ligament for months. Goalkeeper Sarah Wachter has been suffering from a muscular tear, while pivot Emma Olsson has a knee injury. Captain Alicia Langer broke her finger in Metzingen. Maraike Kusian was absent due to tonsilitis. And shortly before the match got under way, goalkeeper Tess Lieder withdrew from contention. She had been substituted with an injury in the 49th minute in Blomberg on Wednesday after taking a hit to the face, and was replaced by goalkeeping coach Clara Woltering. Only the previously injured Lena Degenhardt returned.<\/p>\n<img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/de/news/2025/05/17/spielbericht-handball/Campos-Blomberg.jpg\" data-assetref=\"Campos-Blomberg-1747581843779\"><\/p>\nThe match & analysis: <\/b>BVB were fully alert from the beginning and made intelligent use of space via Kelly Vollebregt out wide, but quickly fell behind nonetheless. Blomberg found themselves 5-3 up after seven minutes. By the 10-minute mark, the score stood at 5-5 following a spectacular Lois Abbingh goal from the back of the court.<\/p>\nBoth teams did not give each other an inch from the start and contested an intense match on equal footing. The fact that BVB could not manage to take the lead was in part down to the strong HSG goalie Melanie Veith and HSG's aggressive defending, which increasingly caused BVB problems. Neither team had managed to pull away decisively by the 15th minute. But the picture changed after almost 20 minutes, with Spaniard Pena upping the score to 11-7 via a seven-metre throw.<\/p>\nBlomberg pulled away in a very short space of time, while BVB could not pick out any gaps in Blomberg's defence after the first time-out and completely lost their way. This was compounded by several passing errors that Blomberg exploited perfectly via Alexia Hauf. After Nieke Kühne's second goal, it was already 14-8 to Blomberg in the 25th minute. The deficit stood at five goals at the break, with the score 16-11.<\/p>\nBVB were caught napping at the start of the second half, quickly conceded two goals and were 18-11 behind early on (33). When Kelly Vollebregt had to leave the court for two minutes and BVB were without a keeper, Alexia Hauf increased the deficit to 19-12. The Black & Yellows initially could not narrow the gap, even though Deborah Lassource and Carmen Campos defended offensively and disrupted Nieke Kühne's space. Kelly Vollebregt then made it 23-18 in the 45th minute.<\/p>\nThere was a glimmer of hope when Deborah Lassource scored to make it 24-20 in the 48th minute. When Lisa Antl made it 24-21 shortly afterwards, BVB were back within striking distance. But Blomberg recovered from their slump. The game was over by the time Nieke Kühne made it 30-24 at the latest (58). BVB had run out of steam and lost the belief they could win. By the time Lisa Antl scored to make it 32-26, the dream of reaching the final was finally over. <\/p>\nReactions: <\/b><\/p>\nLisa Antl:<\/b> \u201cWe did not put into practice what we set out to do. Like in Blomberg on Wednesday. We have an extremely small squad, Blomberg capitalised on that and performed superbly.\u201d<\/p>\nHenk Groener:<\/b> \u201c32 goals is far too many to concede. We did not embrace the challenges in defence, HSG were better in that regard. When we were then within three goals in the 50th minute, we made two or three simple mistakes. After that, the belief was gone.\u201d<\/p>\nAndreas Kuno:<\/b> \u201cWe lost the match in the first half. We allowed Kühne, Quist and Hauf to get into their flow. In the end, we were then simply lacking consistency.\u201d<\/p>\nOutlook:<\/b> The third-place play-off will take place on Saturday 24 May. The opponents will not be determined until HB Ludwigsburg and Thüringer HC go head-to-head at 16:00 CEST on Sunday. In the event Ludwigsburg lose the third semi-final, then the match would be played in Ludwigsburg. In the event Thüringer HC lose and go up against BVB in the battle for third place, BVB would have home advantage.<\/p>\nWomen's handballers:<\/b> Woltering, Muth; Abbingh (2), Campos (5), Antl (3), Degenhardt (1), van Maurik, Lassource (4/1), Sasaki (1), Husebo (2), Vollebregt (7), Egeling, Heimann, Bleckmann (1)<\/p>\n","exportedType":"text/html"},"id":"editable-b14cd9ee33","prio":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"prio","title":"Prio (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"headline":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"headline","title":"Headline","multiValue":false,"value":"BVB women's handballers miss out on German Championship final","exportedType":"text/plain"},"matchId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"matchId","title":"match id","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"data-layer":"{\"editable-b14cd9ee33\":{\"@type\":\"/apps/bvbweb/components/newssliderelements/editable\",\"linkUrl\":\"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2025/5/18/BVB-womens-handballers-miss-out-on-German-Championship-final.html\"}}","author":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"author","title":"Author","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"teaserType":"relatedContent","match":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"content-fragment","name":"match","html":"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/handball/first-women/2024_2025/bundesliga/povf03---borussia-dortmund---tus-metzingen<\/p>","title":"Related Match","multiValue":false,"value":"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/matches/handball/first-women/2024_2025/bundesliga/povf03---borussia-dortmund---tus-metzingen","exportedType":"text/plain"},"alt":"Handball-Blomberg.jpg","externalId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"externalId","title":"External ID (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":"-905756650","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayOnHome":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"displayOnHome","title":"Display in news wall on homepage","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"url":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"url","title":"Vanity URL (LEAVE EMPTY FOR AUTOMATIC VANITY URL. 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250517-BVB Handballdamen vs HSG Blomberg-Lippe; HBF; 1.BL, Saison 2024/25; PlayOffs; Halbfinale Spiel 3; Sporthalle Wellinghofen, Am Lieberfeld 13, 44265 Dortmund

{"subCategory":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"subCategory","title":"Departments","multiValue":true,"value":"Professionals","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayTag":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"displayTag","title":"Display Department","multiValue":true,"value":[""],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"metadescription":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"metadescription","title":"Meta Description","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"linkTarget":"_self","link":"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2025/5/17/3-0-win-over-Kiel-Niko-Kovac-steers-BVB-into-Champions-League.html","stageImages":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"stageImages","title":"Image (Stage Image)","multiValue":true,"value":["/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29M-BVB-Guirassy.jpg"],"exportedType":"text/plain"},"experience":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"experience","title":"Experience Fragment","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"appExport":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"appExport","title":"App Export (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"showDate":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"calendar","name":"showDate","title":"Show Date and Time (CET)","multiValue":false,"value":"17.05.25 15:21 Z","exportedType":"calendar"},"teaserText":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"teaserText","html":"Borussia Dortmund have done it! BVB climbed up to fourth position thanks to a 3-0 (1-0) home victory against Holstein Kiel on the 34th and final matchday of the 2024/25 season and qualified for the UEFA Champions League next season. Chants of "Europapokal, Europapokal!" (European Cup, European Cup) rang out around the stadium.<\/p>\n","title":"Teaser Text","multiValue":false,"value":"Borussia Dortmund have done it! BVB climbed up to fourth position thanks to a 3-0 (1-0) home victory against Holstein Kiel on the 34th and final matchday of the 2024/25 season and qualified for the UEFA Champions League next season. Chants of \"Europapokal, Europapokal!\" (European Cup, European Cup) rang out around the stadium.","exportedType":"text/html"},"scheduledPush":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"scheduledPush","title":"Scheduled Push Notification?","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"disableAdsOnNewsPage":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"disableAdsOnNewsPage","title":"Disable Ads on News Page","multiValue":false,"value":false,"exportedType":"boolean"},"text":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"string","name":"text","html":"Everything initially went according to plan in front of 81,365 spectators at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK: An early goal by Guirassy from the spot made it 1-0 (3), then Kiel's Johansson was red-carded (8). But the numerically superior Black & Yellows failed to build on that momentum, came up with too few ideas and almost conceded a goal to make it 1-1 shortly before half-time. Sabitzer's goal for 2-0 directly after the restart had a liberating effect. Nmecha then wrapped it up with the goal for 3-0 (73).<\/p>\nThe scenario:<\/b>   \nBVB went into the matchday in fifth position, while fourth-placed Freiburg and third-placed Frankfurt went head-to-head at the same time. Only Bayern Munich had won more games on home turf (14 victories) than Borussia Dortmund (10 triumphs), who had come away with maximum points in their last three matches at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. No team had racked up fewer away wins than Holstein Kiel (two triumphs), who had however been much improved of late and had lost only one of their last five away matches.<\/p>\nPersonnel matters:  <\/b> \nHead coach Niko Kovac was without Maximilian Beier (bruised calf), Pascal Groß (suspended) and Nico Schlotterbeck (torn meniscus). He made only one change to the team that ran out 4-2 away winners against Leverkusen last week: Marcel Sabitzer replaced Groß in the starting line-up.<\/p>\n<img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29-BVB-Kiel.jpg\" data-assetref=\"29-BVB-Kiel-1747491941140\"><\/p>\nTactics:    \n <\/b>Kovac did not make any changes to the approach either and so \u2013 until Kiel's early sending-off at least \u2013 the two teams looked similar in terms of their formations on the pitch, in part because Dortmund often transitioned from a 3-4-2-1 into a 3-4-1-2 (as did Kiel) whenever Adeyemi pushed high up in support of Guirassy. BVB predominantly went forward down their left flank. After going down a player, Kiel withdrew deep and at times defended with a six-man back line with Becker keeping a close eye on Brandt.<\/p>\nThe match & analysis: \n <\/b>Dream start for the Black & Yellows. In the second minute Guirassy played the ball from the left into the box, where Nmecha cut inside Holtby and was fouled. Guirassy stepped up to the penalty spot and fired into the left corner. KSV keeper Dähne did dive the right way, but the shot was too powerful and placed. Shortly afterwards a Kiel player underhit a backpass, Adeyemi pounced on the ball and was brought down by Johansson 27 metres from the opposition goal. He was the last man and was red-carded as a result (8).<\/p>\n<img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29-BVB-Kiel-2.jpg\" data-assetref=\"29-BVB-Kiel-2-1747491969503\"><\/p>\nBVB controlled proceedings in the period that followed and hardly allowed Kiel into their half of the pitch but also did not get into a dangerous position in front of the opposition goal themselves for another 20 minutes. Sabitzer shot from 20 metres, with Dähne only just managing to turn the powerful strike behind for a corner. Ryerson shot from 16 metres a short while later, and Remberg almost deflected the ball into his own net (25).<\/p>\nDortmund were on track but not yet over the line due to Freiburg going 1-0 up against Frankfurt. They needed a second goal, or better a third. But they lacked the required precision in their passing, the right tempo and the required penetration against their decimated visitors, who did a good job of keeping the ranks compact even after losing a player and courageously surged forward with five players in the 39th minute. Bernhardsson could not be stopped and his pass from a centre-left position in the box went to Machino, who shot first-time but was thwarted by the foot of Kobel.  <\/p>\n<img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29-BVB-Kiel-3.jpg\" data-assetref=\"29-BVB-Kiel-3-1747491995425\"><\/p>\nThe second period started like the first one had: with a Kiel error and an early goal. Machino played a cleared ball back towards his own penalty area in an uncontrolled manner and Brandt laid it off for Sabitzer, who fired through Remberg's legs from 17 metres to make it 2-0. The goal appeared to have a liberating effect. Nmecha (49) and Guirassy (51) narrowly missed out on another goal shortly afterwards. The stadium shook. The shot count stood at 15-3 after 60 minutes, following another long-range Sabitzer strike that again caused Dähne problems. Tolkin almost scored an own goal when his attempted clearance landed on the bar (57).<\/p>\nThe decisive goal came in the 73rd minute. A passing sequence in the Kiel half involving multiple players culminated in Svensson threading through to Nmecha, who shot from a centre-left position and made it 3-0. That was followed by celebrations in the stands and then, after the final whistle, on the pitch.<\/p>\nOutlook:   \n <\/b>All the players will now depart for a two-week holiday. The internationals will then link up with their national teams, while the other players will prepare in Dortmund for the FIFA Club World Cup, which takes place from 14 June to 13 July. The season opening ceremony takes place on 10 August, with the DFB-Pokal first round to follow the weekend after. The draw will be conducted on 15 June. The Bundesliga will commence its 63rd season on 22 August. The fixture calendar is expected to be published at the start of July.<\/p>\nBoris Rupert reporting<\/i><\/p>\n<h2>Teams & goals<\/h2>\n<h2><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29-Grafik-BVB-Kiel.jpg\" data-assetref=\"29-Grafik-BVB-Kiel-1747491900813\"><\/h2>\nBundesliga Matchday 34 \n <\/b>Saturday 17 May 2025, 15:30 CEST \nBORUSSIA DORTMUND 3-0 (1-0) HOLSTEIN KIEL<\/b><\/p>\nBor. Dortmund: <\/b>Kobel \u2013 Süle (Can, 79), Anton, Bensebaini \u2013 Ryerson, Nmecha (Reyna, 79), Sabitzer, Svensson \u2013 Brandt (Gittens, 85), Adeyemi (Chukwuemeka, 70) \u2013 Guirassy (Duranville, 85) \nKSV Holstein:<\/b> Dähne \u2013 Becker (Ivezic, 88), Johansson, Zec \u2013 Rosenboom, Remberg, Holtby (Knudsen, 46), Tolkin \u2013 Skrzybski (Geschwill, 46) \u2013 Bernhardsson (Harres, 79), Machino (Porath, 69) \nSubstitutes:<\/b> Meyer, Couto, Özcan \u2013 Weiner, Schulz, Arp, Pichler \nGoals:<\/b> 1-0 Guirassy (pen. awarded for foul on Nmecha by Holtby, 3), 2-0 Sabitzer (Brandt, 47), 3-0 Nmecha (Svensson, 73) \nCorners:<\/b> 6-1 (4-1 at half-time), chance ratio:<\/b> 8-2 (3-1) \nReferee:<\/b> Osmers (Hanover), red card:<\/b> Johansson (professional foul, 8), yellow cards:<\/b> Adeyemi, Gittens, Sabitzer \u2013 Becker \nAttendance:<\/b> 81,365 (sold-out), weather:<\/b> predominantly overcast, 17 degrees<\/p>\n","title":"Text","multiValue":false,"value":"Everything initially went according to plan in front of 81,365 spectators at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK: An early goal by Guirassy from the spot made it 1-0 (3), then Kiel's Johansson was red-carded (8). But the numerically superior Black & Yellows failed to build on that momentum, came up with too few ideas and almost conceded a goal to make it 1-1 shortly before half-time. Sabitzer's goal for 2-0 directly after the restart had a liberating effect. Nmecha then wrapped it up with the goal for 3-0 (73).<\/p>\nThe scenario:<\/b>   \nBVB went into the matchday in fifth position, while fourth-placed Freiburg and third-placed Frankfurt went head-to-head at the same time. Only Bayern Munich had won more games on home turf (14 victories) than Borussia Dortmund (10 triumphs), who had come away with maximum points in their last three matches at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. No team had racked up fewer away wins than Holstein Kiel (two triumphs), who had however been much improved of late and had lost only one of their last five away matches.<\/p>\nPersonnel matters:  <\/b> \nHead coach Niko Kovac was without Maximilian Beier (bruised calf), Pascal Groß (suspended) and Nico Schlotterbeck (torn meniscus). He made only one change to the team that ran out 4-2 away winners against Leverkusen last week: Marcel Sabitzer replaced Groß in the starting line-up.<\/p>\n<img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29-BVB-Kiel.jpg\" data-assetref=\"29-BVB-Kiel-1747491941140\"><\/p>\nTactics:    \n <\/b>Kovac did not make any changes to the approach either and so \u2013 until Kiel's early sending-off at least \u2013 the two teams looked similar in terms of their formations on the pitch, in part because Dortmund often transitioned from a 3-4-2-1 into a 3-4-1-2 (as did Kiel) whenever Adeyemi pushed high up in support of Guirassy. BVB predominantly went forward down their left flank. After going down a player, Kiel withdrew deep and at times defended with a six-man back line with Becker keeping a close eye on Brandt.<\/p>\nThe match & analysis: \n <\/b>Dream start for the Black & Yellows. In the second minute Guirassy played the ball from the left into the box, where Nmecha cut inside Holtby and was fouled. Guirassy stepped up to the penalty spot and fired into the left corner. KSV keeper Dähne did dive the right way, but the shot was too powerful and placed. Shortly afterwards a Kiel player underhit a backpass, Adeyemi pounced on the ball and was brought down by Johansson 27 metres from the opposition goal. He was the last man and was red-carded as a result (8).<\/p>\n<img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29-BVB-Kiel-2.jpg\" data-assetref=\"29-BVB-Kiel-2-1747491969503\"><\/p>\nBVB controlled proceedings in the period that followed and hardly allowed Kiel into their half of the pitch but also did not get into a dangerous position in front of the opposition goal themselves for another 20 minutes. Sabitzer shot from 20 metres, with Dähne only just managing to turn the powerful strike behind for a corner. Ryerson shot from 16 metres a short while later, and Remberg almost deflected the ball into his own net (25).<\/p>\nDortmund were on track but not yet over the line due to Freiburg going 1-0 up against Frankfurt. They needed a second goal, or better a third. But they lacked the required precision in their passing, the right tempo and the required penetration against their decimated visitors, who did a good job of keeping the ranks compact even after losing a player and courageously surged forward with five players in the 39th minute. Bernhardsson could not be stopped and his pass from a centre-left position in the box went to Machino, who shot first-time but was thwarted by the foot of Kobel.  <\/p>\n<img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29-BVB-Kiel-3.jpg\" data-assetref=\"29-BVB-Kiel-3-1747491995425\"><\/p>\nThe second period started like the first one had: with a Kiel error and an early goal. Machino played a cleared ball back towards his own penalty area in an uncontrolled manner and Brandt laid it off for Sabitzer, who fired through Remberg's legs from 17 metres to make it 2-0. The goal appeared to have a liberating effect. Nmecha (49) and Guirassy (51) narrowly missed out on another goal shortly afterwards. The stadium shook. The shot count stood at 15-3 after 60 minutes, following another long-range Sabitzer strike that again caused Dähne problems. Tolkin almost scored an own goal when his attempted clearance landed on the bar (57).<\/p>\nThe decisive goal came in the 73rd minute. A passing sequence in the Kiel half involving multiple players culminated in Svensson threading through to Nmecha, who shot from a centre-left position and made it 3-0. That was followed by celebrations in the stands and then, after the final whistle, on the pitch.<\/p>\nOutlook:   \n <\/b>All the players will now depart for a two-week holiday. The internationals will then link up with their national teams, while the other players will prepare in Dortmund for the FIFA Club World Cup, which takes place from 14 June to 13 July. The season opening ceremony takes place on 10 August, with the DFB-Pokal first round to follow the weekend after. The draw will be conducted on 15 June. The Bundesliga will commence its 63rd season on 22 August. The fixture calendar is expected to be published at the start of July.<\/p>\nBoris Rupert reporting<\/i><\/p>\n<h2>Teams & goals<\/h2>\n<h2><img src=\"/content/dam/bvbweb/en/news/2025/05/17/bl-spielbericht/29-Grafik-BVB-Kiel.jpg\" data-assetref=\"29-Grafik-BVB-Kiel-1747491900813\"><\/h2>\nBundesliga Matchday 34 \n <\/b>Saturday 17 May 2025, 15:30 CEST \nBORUSSIA DORTMUND 3-0 (1-0) HOLSTEIN KIEL<\/b><\/p>\nBor. Dortmund: <\/b>Kobel \u2013 Süle (Can, 79), Anton, Bensebaini \u2013 Ryerson, Nmecha (Reyna, 79), Sabitzer, Svensson \u2013 Brandt (Gittens, 85), Adeyemi (Chukwuemeka, 70) \u2013 Guirassy (Duranville, 85) \nKSV Holstein:<\/b> Dähne \u2013 Becker (Ivezic, 88), Johansson, Zec \u2013 Rosenboom, Remberg, Holtby (Knudsen, 46), Tolkin \u2013 Skrzybski (Geschwill, 46) \u2013 Bernhardsson (Harres, 79), Machino (Porath, 69) \nSubstitutes:<\/b> Meyer, Couto, Özcan \u2013 Weiner, Schulz, Arp, Pichler \nGoals:<\/b> 1-0 Guirassy (pen. awarded for foul on Nmecha by Holtby, 3), 2-0 Sabitzer (Brandt, 47), 3-0 Nmecha (Svensson, 73) \nCorners:<\/b> 6-1 (4-1 at half-time), chance ratio:<\/b> 8-2 (3-1) \nReferee:<\/b> Osmers (Hanover), red card:<\/b> Johansson (professional foul, 8), yellow cards:<\/b> Adeyemi, Gittens, Sabitzer \u2013 Becker \nAttendance:<\/b> 81,365 (sold-out), weather:<\/b> predominantly overcast, 17 degrees<\/p>\n","exportedType":"text/html"},"id":"editable-4313265134","prio":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"prio","title":"Prio (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"headline":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"headline","title":"Headline","multiValue":false,"value":"3-0 win over Kiel: Niko Kovac steers BVB into Champions League","exportedType":"text/plain"},"matchId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"matchId","title":"match id","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"data-layer":"{\"editable-4313265134\":{\"@type\":\"/apps/bvbweb/components/newssliderelements/editable\",\"linkUrl\":\"https://www.bvb.de/de/en/news/news-overview/news.html/2025/5/17/3-0-win-over-Kiel-Niko-Kovac-steers-BVB-into-Champions-League.html\"}}","author":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"author","title":"Author","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"teaserType":"relatedContent","match":{"multiLine":true,"dataType":"content-fragment","name":"match","title":"Related Match","multiValue":false,"exportedType":"text/plain"},"alt":"29M-BVB-Guirassy.jpg","externalId":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"externalId","title":"External ID (Clubplatform)","multiValue":false,"value":"2143335449","exportedType":"text/plain"},"displayOnHome":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"boolean","name":"displayOnHome","title":"Display in news wall on homepage","multiValue":false,"value":true,"exportedType":"boolean"},"url":{"multiLine":false,"dataType":"string","name":"url","title":"Vanity URL (LEAVE EMPTY FOR AUTOMATIC VANITY URL. 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