BERLIN, Nov 21: Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus scored late to cut the gap on Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich to a point with a 2-1 win at home against Stuttgart on Saturday.
Dortmund looked set for disappointment as it struggled to take advantage of Bayern’s shock 2-1 loss at Augsburg the night before, but Reus grabbed the home team’s winner in the 85th minute when he tapped in the rebound after Florian Müller had saved Thorgan Hazard’s initial effort.
Dortmund was again without injured star forward Erling Haaland.
Dutch striker Donyell Malen scored his first Bundesliga goal since joining Dortmund in the offseason from PSV Eindhoven, but Stuttgart fought back through Roberto Massimo before Reus had the final say.
Union Berlin vs Hertha Berlin
Basking in the novelty of a sold-out stadium, Union Berlin defeated crosstown rival Hertha Berlin 2-0 in a largely peaceful derby and climbed to fifth.
First-half goals from Taiwo Awoniyi and captain Christopher Trimmel were enough for Union to claim the unofficial title of “Stadtmeister” (city champion) and leave Hertha floundering in 13th place, far from the European qualification spots it has targeted.
It was the first time since the pandemic that Union was permitted to sell out its 22,012-capacity stadium, and the first time fans could attend the Berlin derby since November 2019.
Memories of trouble at that game meant a large police presence around the stadium. Berlin’s police said on Twitter that around 1,000 officers were on duty to “protect the game, the city, and of course the fans.” (AP)
