Adeyemi and Bellingham double up as Dortmund do their bit – DW – 05/07/2023

As Karim Adeyemi sank to his knees, head in hands, a host of his Borussia Dortmund teammates sprinted to help him to his feet. If it was the scene many had expected to see in the Bundesliga title run in, the context was very different.

Adeyemi was only taking the penalty as it was a chance to complete a maiden Bundesliga hat-trick, with Dortmund already 5-0 up by the time of his 65th minute penalty miss. When he was removed four minutes later, Adeyemi was still clearly ruing his miss. It took BVB’s big summer signing until late January to score his first league goal. He now has five, and three assists, in his last eight matches.

“We had a lot of fun. We got a lot of space, made the most of it and got a deserved victory. It all came together today,” said 21-year-old Germany international to DAZN. That he was so frustrated as he headed for the bench despite the convincing win was, perhaps, a good sign. BVB have often been accused of a lack of ruthlessness when in front, most recently when drawing with Stuttgart despite taking a lead in the 92nd minute.

Those two points dropped could yet be the difference in the title race, with Dortmund now a point behind Bayern with three games apiece remaining and a significantly worse goal difference. But while Bayern labored to a win over Werder Bremen on Saturday, the manner of Dortmund’s win on Sunday was emphatic. 

 “Today we played a top game, in all areas,” said delighted Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. “What I really liked was the willingness to work off the ball. Of course it helps to take an early lead, but after that we kept our foot on the gas, which was important. It was a top performance from start to finish.”

Front three finally clicking

Adeyemi’s opener on 14 minutes settled nerves, Sebastien Haller’s second on 28 minutes bought room to breathe and Donyell Malen effectively settled things on 37 minutes before Jude Bellingham’s shot span back in off the bar and Adeyemi and Bellingham helped themselves to seconds. The identity of the first three scorers is significant. Adeyemi-Haller-Malen was the front three Dortmund’s hierarchy wanted to see at the sharp end this year. But, until recently, through a combination of Haller’s cancer and the struggles for form and confidence of the other two, it’s taken a while to click.

But glimpses of a bright future won’t sustain Dortmund fans forever. While the difference in financial power between Bayern and the rest should not be under-estimated, eleven titles in a row would be too much to take. Especially this season.

“Unfortunately, it is no longer in our hands,” said Adeyemi. “But I am totally convinced that we will win the next games as well.”

All eyes on the run in

Though it’s only those next three games that are occupying the minds of those in yellow and black, Bellingham’s celebration of the deftly-taken sixth may yet be significant. The English midfielder has been the subject of frenzied speculation about a move to Real Madrid touted as inevtiable. But as he ran headlong towards the fans, he gestured in a way to suggest he was blocking out the noise and screamed “I’m here.”

Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl confirmed that is the case, for now. “It’s not surprising that the rumours are swirling, we’ve been in this situation before,” he told DAZN. “But there’s nothing new to announce and there has been no offer,”

Perhaps not yet, but there will be. It is what Dortmund do: buy young, improve, sell high. Adeyemi may well follow a similar trajectory. As such, Dortmund need to take the rare chances they get. And on Sunday, they suggested, at least, that they aren’t going to go out with a whimper this time around. Their run-in (Borussia Mönchengladbach at home, Augsburg away and Mainz at home) looks easier than Bayern’s (Schalke at home, RB Leipzig at home and Cologne away) but Bayern have been here and won before. And Dortmund have fallen short before. 

Emre Can, another who has improved dramatically in the second half of the season, thinks things are different now. “For me, it is not over yet,” he said. “We need to win all our games and see what happens but the belief is definitely there.” It may not be enough, but it is a good foundation. 

Edited by: Andreas Illmer