Borussia Dortmund escaped the Schwarzwald-Stadion with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against SC Freiburg on Sunday, but they’ll count themselves fortunate after J. Bellingham’s second-half red card turned the tide dramatically in favor of the hosts.
R. Bensebaini gave Dortmund the lead in the 31st minute, capitalizing on what would prove to be their only sustained period of control. The opening exchanges were feisty, with Y. Couto and J. Manzambi both booked in the 11th minute, setting the tone for a physical encounter.
The match’s turning point arrived eight minutes into the second half when Bellingham received his marching orders, leaving Dortmund to defend their slender advantage with ten men. Manager responded immediately with F. Silva’s introduction in the 56th minute, looking to shore up the midfield.
Freiburg seized their numerical advantage, dominating possession (57%) and peppering Dortmund’s goal with 21 shots compared to just nine from the visitors. The pressure told in the 75th minute when L. Holer leveled the score, sending the home crowd into raptures.
The hosts thought they’d completed the comeback in the 86th minute through I. Matanovic, but VAR intervened to disallow the goal for offside—a crucial reprieve for the ten-man visitors. Dortmund’s goalkeeper was heroic, making five saves to preserve the point.
Despite registering zero corner kicks and managing just 0.93 xG compared to Freiburg’s 1.51, Dortmund’s defensive resilience—27 clearances—proved decisive. Late substitutions including S. Guirassy and C. Chukwuemeka helped run down the clock as cards continued to fly, with J. Ryerson and L. Kubler joining the book.
The draw keeps Dortmund level on points with Leipzig in the race for Champions League qualification, though they’ll rue the missed opportunity after controlling the first half.
