BERLIN — Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Bosz admitted their third straight defeat in the Bundesliga "hurts" as the club's dire form continued ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
Dortmund are winless in their last five league games, collecting just one point from a possible 15, after losing 2-1 at VfB Stuttgart on Friday. They last won a Bundesliga match in September and could finish the weekend nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
The defeat in Stuttgart further dented fragile confidence before facing Spurs in Europe and next Saturday's derby showdown against fierce rivals Schalke. To make matters worse, star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was suspended in Stuttgart for "disciplinary reasons".
Bosz lamented both the performance and "ridiculous" opening goal, which Dortmund conceded after just five minutes. "That hurts a lot. We came here to win and so we are very disappointed," fumed Bosz.
Without Aubameyang and injured US international midfielder Christian Pulisic, Dortmund were on the back foot after only five minutes. A defensive mix-up between Marc Bartra and goalkeeper Roman Burki allowed Stuttgart midfielder Chadrac Akolo to score the hosts' opener.
Maximilian Philipp leveled on the rebound from Andre Schurrle's missed penalty just before the break for Borussia. However, Josip Brekalo's low shot through Burki's legs in the second half sealed Stuttgart's win.
After picking up just two points from their first four European matches, Dortmund could be knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage even if they beat Tottenham, should Real Madrid defeat APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday. — AFP