Dortmund Looks to Rise Like a Phoenix

Published on 22-Feb-2015 by srijan213

Soccer    Soccer Daily Review

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Dortmund Looks to Rise Like a Phoenix

Disappointing Borussia Dortmund have no intention of packing it in.

Die Borussen notched a hard-earned 2-3 win against VfB Stüttgart to lift themselves from the bottom of the Bundesliga table.

The terms Dortmund and relegation have been virtually inseparable this season. The team that was once the only challenger to the Bayern Munich dynamo is now facing its own trials and tribs, as in getting the hell outa relegation territory. This is the Dortmund story, 2015 edition.

Stüttgart has its own struggles, of course. 18 points in 22 matches doesn't exactly portend to an extended tenure. So this match had the life-or-death element that's usually seen this time of year in a table's nether regions.

Die Schwarzgelben -- the Black & Gold -- started early through the quick reflexes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang:

Gotta say, though, Marco Reus has to be given the most credit. Maybe Gotze and Lewandowski are gone, but Dortmund's cupboard isn't totally bare.

But the late Manfred Rommel's favorite side soon equalized with a well-converted penalty followed this defensive mess:

Dortmund needs to sort out their footwork. Either that, or the pitch was 'way too slippery. Whichever. Florian Klein's spike bit turf just fine:

It usually takes something out of the box to beat Roman Weidenfeller. This time it was something inside the box.

But Die Borussen pulled one back right away, as İlkay Gündoğan capped a snappy build-up with a ground-hugging screamer:

Now this is the Dortmund that we'd come to know and love. Where were you, dudes?

Their third for Dortmund was a given. Literally.

Zounds! Charity actually begins away from home! Reus has the hustle but not the dance moves.

Stüttgart struck one just before the whistle to make the scoreline more respectable, but zero points are still zero points.

So now, Dortmund is three points clear, but Stüttgart ... the German word is Fußabtreter.

That's a doormat.

Click on a photo to enlarge.