Three Takeaways from Borussia Dortmund’s disappointing home 2-1 loss against Stuttgart | OneFootball

On matchday 21, Borussia Dortmund hosted VfB Stuttgart, a team that had caused problems for them ever since Sebastian Hoeneß took charge three years ago. It was also new manager Niko Kovac’s first game in charge of Dortmund, so many of us were anxious to see what he could bring into this underperforming squad.

Unfortunately, Kovač’s first game ended in a 2-1 loss, a match that was always going to be difficult. The first half saw some promising BVB attacks and a pretty solid defense from Waldemar Anton and Emre Can, barring one mistake from Anton, which Emre Can and Gregor Kobel maturely rectified. But the Black and Yellows held onto 0-0 into halftime.

The second half was when the match turned awry, as Waldemar Anton redirected a Stuttgart cross into the back of the wrong net, resulting in the opening goal. Stuttgart rode the momentum of having taken the lead and scored again ten minutes later through Jeff Chabot. Niko Kovač did change systems around the seventy-first minute, increasing Dortmund’s goal threat. Julian Brandt pulled one back, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback.

Hopefully, the result will be more favorable when we take on Sporting in a couple of days. Until then, here are three takeaways from this match: