Despite all the jubilation, a declaration of war on FC Bayern did not pass anyone's lips at BVB. But in the first joy about the 6-0 (3-0) spectacle against VfL Wolfsburg, Sebastian Kehl's statement sounded at least like a Dortmund greeting to the league leaders from Munich. "That makes an impression. One or the other will have sat in front of the TV today and said that's an exclamation mark," commented the sporting director on the biggest win of the season for Borussia.
Although Dortmund were denied a return to the top of the Bundesliga table and FC Bayern are still one point ahead after the 2-1 win in Bremen, coach Edin Terzic also felt that his team's tenth home win in a row was an encouragement for the showdown in the championship thriller. "The season has shown us how crazy it is and how many problems there have been at almost all clubs. We'll do everything we can to keep it crazy and that we have something to celebrate at the end," said the coach, full of hope for a mistake by Bayern and another change in leadership. National player Emre Can sounded similarly confident: "It's far from decided. In any case, our faith is still there."
It fit into the picture of a team hungry for success that Karim Adeyemi had to be cheered up by his congenial comrade-in-arms Jude Bellingham (14th/59th) despite a gala performance crowned with two goals (54th/86th). The missed penalty in the 64th minute diminished the joy of his best game in a BVB shirt: "I ruined my day a little. I was heartbroken at that moment."
Praise from coach Terzic
With the prospect of his first Bundesliga game with three goals, the 21-year-old had tried to take the penalty and even persuaded Marco Reus, who had just come on as a substitute, to give him the ball. Remorseful, Adeyemi looked back on what happened: "I'd rather have to give the ball to Marco, that would have been better. First of all, it's about the team and not about me."
But on a day like this, all Dortmund players could easily get over Adeyemi's miss. Terzic was nevertheless full of praise for the fastest Bundesliga player according to speed measurements: "Of his estimated 100 actions, 99 were really good. The way he used his almost 37 km/h speed today was outstanding." The fact that Bellingham was also in great form despite the recent speculation about an imminent move to Real Madrid and that veteran Mats Hummels earned top marks as a tireless tackler spoke for Terzic's work in recent days.
It's hard to imagine how a team with such qualities could squander the lead in the relegation hopeful Bochum (1-1) a week ago. Or had to settle for a draw against the "basement kids" Schalke (2-2) and Stuttgart (3-3). Terzic recalled the low mood on the last matchday: "Just a week ago I had to answer stupid questions. Maybe it's the season of setbacks. But it's about getting up again and again and showing that you can do better."
With three games remaining against Mönchengladbach, Augsburg and Mainz, the runners-up must now continue to hope for a weakness of the defending champions, who had mastered their task in Bremen a day earlier with significantly less brilliance. Rarely has sporting director Kehl wished Dortmund's arch-rivals FC Schalke a win more than in their game in Munich on Saturday. "We wouldn't be angry if we got a little help," commented the former BVB player, "we need help. That's how honest we have to be."