Borussia Dortmund missed out on the opportunity to beat 1. FC Köln at home on Matchday 31 despite creating a number of chances to score. The Black and Yellows were held to a goalless draw by the men from the Cathedral City and are now in danger of being leapfrogged into third by Hoffenheim on Sunday.

Boris Rupert reporting from Signal Iduna Park

A sell-out crowd of 81,360 fans watched on as BVB carved out numerous opportunities and even found the net twice in the first period through Aubameyang (15) and Reus (34), but referee Stieler disallowed both strikes for offside. The result means the Black and Yellows were without a goal for the first time in 21 games and goalless at home to 1. FC Köln for the first time in 28 years.

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Erik Durm beats Anthony Modeste to the ball.

The scenario:  
It was the second-best attack in the league against the second-best defence in terms of the number of major chances conceded. BVB had failed to beat FC in each of the five games since Peter Stöger took over the reins.

Personnel matters:
BVB were without the injured Sahin, Bartra, Schürrle and Rode, as well as Götze, who is suffering from illness. There were four changes to the team that beat Bayern Munich 3-2 in the DFB Cup semi-final on Wednesday, with Durm, Ginter, Kagawa and Pulisic replacing Piszczek, Bender, Dembélé and Guerreiro. Köln travelled without Rausch, Riss, Guirassy and Osako.

Tactics:
Borussia adopted a very flexible tactical approach, with Castro's versatility allowing the hosts to switch between a 4-3-3 formation and a 4-2-3-1. The 29-year-old alternated between defensive and offensive midfield, often playing level with Kagawa, who was operating between the centre and the right of midfield, but sometimes dropping back to help Weigl in defensive midfield, winning the ball and feeding wingers Pulisic and Reus. Without the ball, Köln lined up in a 4-1-4-1 system. When building the play, Hector slotted into defensive midfield alongside Lehmann.

The match & analysis:
It took at least ten minutes before BVB got into their stride and attacked with power and precision. The match was 12 minutes old when Schmelzer broke through down the left and sent a perfect cross into the centre, but Aubameyang missed the target from several metres out. Three minutes later the Gabon forward broke the deadlock, only to see his celebrations cut short when the linesman deemed provider Kagawa to have been in an offside position.

Less than 60 seconds later the Japan international intercepted a Köln attack and fed Reus, who looked up and attempted to square the ball across to Aubameyang. Subotic, however, blocked the pass and Sörensen cleared for a corner before Reus could latch onto the loose ball that was spinning goalbound.

The Black and Yellows continued to find gaps in Köln's defensive rearguard time and time again. In the 27th minute, Aubameyang cut into the box from the left at speed and squared to Reus, whose sidefooted effort from eight metres out sailed over the crossbar.

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Disallowed goal number two: Castro heads goalbound but Reus gets a touch on the ball

The second disallowed goal came on the 34-minute mark after Reus was beaten to the ball by Köln shot-stopper Horn in a one-on-one. Castro headed the follow-up goalbound but, rather than leaving it, Reus got a touch on the ball as it went through. There was a single Köln defender on the goal-line, but two players on the defending team need to be between the attacker and the goal-line, and with Horn by the penalty spot, it was correctly disallowed.

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Julian Weigl battles Milos Jojic.

Köln twice came very close to finding the net between Dortmund's two disallowed goals, but former Black and Yellows Jojic (29) and Bittencourt (32) both fired narrowly wide. And so despite a shot ratio of 11-2, the game was goalless at the interval.

The one-way traffic continued in the second period. Shortly after the restart both Reus (46), and then Schmelzer with a strike from 18 metres out (50), forced Köln custodian Horn into saves. Borussia won corner after corner, created chance after chance, but the ball simply would not go in. Kagawa miskicked a shot in the 65th minute, then he and Reus were both substituted and replaced by Dembélé and Guerreiro in a bid to bring in some fresh legs. Dembélé was thwarted by Horn seconds later (67). Three minutes later he chipped the ball into the penalty area towards Castro, who chested the ball down but slightly behind the incoming Aubameyang.

Dortmund – now playing with a back three and almost entirely in the Köln half – continued to probe as the game entered the closing stages, having had 72 percent possession and many more shots (20-4). But in their ninth game in the space of 29 days, the hosts were simply lacking the energy to force what would have been a highly deserved victory. In stoppage time Guerreiro was denied by the outstanding Horn, while Dembélé's follow-up was blocked.

Prospects: 
BVB's ninth game in April is now over, as is the congested fixture period. They now have seven days to recuperate before hosting TSG Hoffenheim.

Teams & goals