LEADERS LEIPZIG WILL PUT DORTMUND'S FAITH IN ŞAHIN TO THE TEST

Borussia Dortmund have again dominated the German football headlines this week, and sadly not for the right reasons.

The sense that Schwarzgelben are falling hard continues apace on the back of successive defeats at FC Augsburg and VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, respectively. That, after under-fire first-year coach Nuri Şahin had been widely criticised -- including in this space -- for his second-half tactical and personnel switches at Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League that helped turn a 2-0 advantage into a 5-2 defeat.

Saturday's performance in the Fuggerstadt lacked tempo and punch, and BVB got what their uninspiring play deserved after Donyell Malen had given them an early lead. To be charitable, the Wolfsburg trip always looked likely to be laced with difficulties for Şahin, who could barely cobble together a team of fit players and had to improvise by, for example, deploying Pascal Gross at right-back and Julian Brandt as a sitting midfielder.

The fact is, though, Dortmund, after conceding to Wolfsburg substitute Jonas Wind on 117 minutes, have lost lost out on the short route to a trophy and there is scant evidence that the longer journeys necessary to win the Meisterschale or Henkelpott (the German name for the Champions League trophy) will bear any fruit.

Dortmund have put together a strange sequence of results this season: perfect at home in all competitions, while dismal away. On-pitch leadership has been in short supply, whether from goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and club captain Emre Can, which speaks to a certain overall Verunsicherung (uncertainty.)

The good news is Saturday's Topspiel will be in front of 81,365 and of course BVB's famous Gelbe Wand (yellow wall). The bad news is Dortmund's opponents are a very capable RB Leipzig side, coached by Marco Rose. Yes, the same Rose who oversaw the Schwarzgelben in 2021-22 before being unceremoniously dismissed in a move that took many of us by surprise.

Rose, a Leipziger by birth, has been at the RBL helm for more than two years and the fit -- style and personality wise -- just feels right, helped to by a considerable background working at sister club, RB Salzburg.

Level at the top with Bayern Munich are the Bundesliga's Bollwerk (bulwark) with only three goals conceded. Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi is enjoying one of his best starts to a season, while Willi Orban remains of the most able defensive leaders in the Bundesliga -- in addition to offering a genuine attacking threat at set plays.

Even without Xavi Simons and Xaver Schlager, both out for the medium- to long term, there are enough component parts to put the fear in BVB. Lois Openda, with five league goals to his name this term, was clocked as the fastest player across all Bundesliga games played last week.

Leipzig prevailed in both meetings with Dortmund last season and have been victorious in two of their past three visits to the Signal Iduna Park.

Injuries may again mean a patchwork-quilt quality to BVB, with the possibility of the struggling Can having to line up at right-back in place of Julian Ryerson.

Dortmund fell to their third straight defeat across all competitions on Tuesday with the DFB-Pokal loss at Wolfsburg. Hendrik Deckers/Borussia Dortmund via Getty Images

BVB failed the first test they faced against a German Champions League team when thumped 5-1 by VfB Stuttgart. If it goes completely awry for them on Saturday evening, how much patience will managing director for sport Lars Ricken and CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke have with Şahin? The signals I'm getting are that they still feel it's still too early to make a change, but another defeat would have the alarm bells ringing loudly.

Can Leverkusen-Stuttgart deliver more fireworks?

Ask anyone who avidly follows the Bundesliga which games last season brought the most entertainment, verve and general excitement, and they'll tell you: the epics between Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart.

It's no overstatement. Die Schwaben gave the eventual champions the runaround at times in all three competitive meetings, and only a late Jonathan Tah headed winner for Leverkusen in the wild DFB-Pokal quarterfinal the separated them.

Back in August, I witnessed first-hand while commentating for viewers around the world at the BayArena, another night of DFL-Supercup intensity. Again, Leverkusen left it late, this time a Patrik Schick leveller sending the curtain raiser to penalties before die Werkself got to hold aloft their third trophy in 2024.

So, Friday night again under the Bayer-Kreuz promises to be a can't-miss experience.

Xabi Alonso has heavily rotated his squad recently, making eight changes ahead of the past two competitive matches. Tuesday's 3-0 Pokal win over Elversberg saw Leverkusen conserve energy in the second half, clearly with Friday in mind.

It's hard to imagine this not being a night of attacking fireworks with Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and Victor Boniface on one side and then Deniz Undav plus the in-form Jamie Leweling and El Bilal Toure on the other.

Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro told me a few weeks ago, they always have a shortlist of potential future coaches as a matter of professionalism. If this happensto be Alonso's last season -- and that's by no means definite -- it would be logical to imagine Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeness appearing at the top of that list.

Bielefeld are, in fact, very real

In the past 30 years in German life, it has become a matter of satire to say that the city of Bielefeld doesn't actually exist. Well, its existence was very real in the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday night as Arminia Bielefeld, now in the 3. Liga, put Union Berlin, currently fourth in the Bundesliga, to the sword.It was my personal favourite Pokal match or the week in front of 26,117 at the Bielefelder Alm.

Bielefeld coach Mitch Kniat promised a game auf Augenhöhe (at eye level) in terms of willingness to run and working against the ball. His players made an energetic start and Marius Wörl's outrageous long-range finish, after an errant pass by Andras Schäfer, put Arminia on their way. Andre Becker added a second goal -- set up by the impressive Wörl -- with just under 20 minutes to go.

You might remember Bielefeld were in the Bundesliga before the Abstieg (demotion) struck in 2022. Thereafter they went sliding straight down to the 3. Liga.

Now they'll fly the flag for the league they play in when the draw for the Pokal third round is made in Dortmund on Sunday by Andre Schnura, who delighted fans all over Germany with his saxophone music during Euro 2024.

- Derek Rae

VIRJIL VAN DIJK 'ANGRY' AFTER FIRST RED CARD WITH NETHERLANDS

Virgil van Dijk was left angry with the decision to give him the first of two yellow cards against Hungary. David Balogh/Getty Images

Virgil van Dijk said he was "angry" with the decision to give him the first of two yellow cards as he was sent off for the first time in his Netherlands career in Friday's 1-1 Nations League draw with Hungary.

The Liverpool defender received two yellow cards in three minutes late in the second half, the first for dissent and the second a foul which was a straightforward booking.

That first card, for protesting after Donyell Malen was brought down as he surged towards goal with the Dutch trailing their hosts 1-0, left Van Dijk particularly frustrated.

"[The red card] is a bummer, should not have happened. But I'm especially angry about the first," Van Dijk told ESPN Netherlands.

"They say the captain is the only one who can talk to the referee. I walk up to him. Up tempo, but not in a nasty way, not at all. Very respectful. Because I felt it was a breakaway player, he did not go for the ball at all. If even the captain can not say anything ... then it gets difficult."

Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman was also left perplexed by his captain's first booking.

"That moment was frustrating," Koeman told the NOS. "I don't understand it. I think we agreed that a captain can protest to a referee.

"That foul [on Malen] was good for a red card. There was no intention at all to play the ball. That Virgil then takes that second card is not convenient. He knows that himself."

Koeman confirmed he will not add to his squad for Monday's visit to Germany, who head Nations League Group A3 with seven points from three matches, two more points than the Netherlands.

It makes it a vital fixture in which the Dutch could rise to the top of the pool, or conversely be cut five points adrift with two games to play.

Koeman was left with a "reasonable feeling" after the draw in Budapest in which his side trailed to a first-half goal from Roland Sallai, but equalised late on through Denzel Dumfries, a goal that came after Van Dijk's red card.

"We didn't surrender, we went to play one-on-one and made the equaliser," he added. "Then they [Hungary] created some dangerous situations, but we defended well. That way you leave with a reasonable feeling."

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.

- ESPN News Services

GAPKO STRIKE AND MALEN DOUBLE HELP DUTCH REACH EURO QUARTER-FINALS

Reuters 

 Netherlands' Cody Gakpo scored his third goal of the European Championship and substitute Donyell Malen added two more late on to defeat Romania 3-0 in their last-16 fixture as the Dutch burst back into form with a lively display on Tuesday.

They had been lambasted by their media and fans for a poor defensive display in their final group game, a 3-2 loss to Austria, but were more composed and in control as they reach the Euro quarter-finals for the first time since 2008.

The Dutch started slowly at the Munich Football Arena as underdogs Romania -- roared on by their yellow-clad supporters -- controlled the ball for the first quarter of an hour before the Netherlands slowly started to get a grip on the match.

They broke the deadlock after 20 minutes when player of the match Gakpo fired low past Florin Nita at the keeper's near post before Malen's late double clinched a quarter-final with Austria or Turkey, who play later on Tuesday, in Berlin on Saturday.

"This was the answer we had to our last performance - good game, good goals, we played good football," Gakpo said.

"Of course we could do better but a good showing after the last game. A good step in that next direction. We felt we were in control even though they were a dangerous opponent."

Reuters 

Gakpo was a menace all night and turned provider for Malen's first goal in the 83rd minute when he kept the ball in play on the touchline and knocked it across the box for an easy tap in.

Malen, who is the first Netherlands player to score in a Euro knockout match as a substitute, notched his second in stoppage time when he collected the ball in midfield, dribbled into the penalty area and fired past Nita as the Dutch served notice that they have started to click at the tournament.

Romania, who were forced into a first half substitution when Bogdan Racovitan came on in defence for Vasile Mogos after a collision, created few chances and never looked a serious threat as the Dutch controlled possession and waited to get forward.

Romania manager Edward Iordanescu had said his side, who topped Group E with four points, would need a near perfect performance but his players lacked the crispness and counter-attacking threat they displayed earlier in the tournament.

"We played well the first 15 to 20 minutes then their first goal came and it destabilised us to some extent," Romania defender Andrei Burca said. "We are disappointed, we wanted a lot from this match."

The Netherlands had two thirds of possession and almost five times more chances with 24 attempts in the game to underline their superiority as Virgil van Dijk struck the post with a header and Gakpo had a second effort ruled out for offside.

- Michael Kahn