Bologna 2-1 Borussia Dortmund: Hosts come back from behind for first win

Bologna came from behind to defeat visitors Borussia Dortmund 2-1 and earn their first win in the Champions League this season.

The Serie A side scored two goals in as many second-half minutes to inflict a fourth straight defeat across all competitions on Bundesliga side Dortmund.

Nuri Sahin’s visitors made a good start, taking the lead through Serhou Guirassy, who converted a panenka penalty in the 15th minute after Emil Holm’s foul on Waldemar Anton.

Bologna had to wait until the 71st minute to restore parity as Thijs Dallinga turned home a cross from fellow substitute Jens Odgaard.

The Italians then pulled ahead the very next minute through Samuel Iling-Junior, who scored on the rebound after an initial save from Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Dortmund, who are 13th in the 36-team table with 12 points, will face Shakhtar Donetsk on the final matchday, while Bologna move up to 27th with five points.

Why we love this game #UCL #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/PVVg5UvFN8

— Bologna FC 1909 (@BolognaFC1909en) January 21, 2025

Data Debrief: Dortmund’s poor run continues

Dortmund are yet to win a match in 2025, also losing to Bayer Leverkusen, Holstein Kiel and Eintracht Frankfurt in the German top division since the turn of the year.

They were clearly second-best against their Italian opponents on Tuesday as they finished the game with only three attempts, compared to Bologna’s 17.

With only two shots on target, Sahin’s side accumulated an expected goals (xG) figure of 0.97 against Bologna’s xG of 1.98.

This is also the first time Dortmund have lost back-to-back Champions League matches in the same season since November 2021.