Dortmund lose ground with shock defeat by Cologne

Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Cologne, Signal Iduna Park
(Hazard 74' — Skhiri 9', 60')

Borussia Dortmund's pursuit of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga is again a case of hope rather than expectation. To put this defeat into perspective, Cologne hadn't won in eight attempts this season and their winless league run stretched back 18 games, a sequence of results that saw them narrowly escape relegation last season.

Markus Gisdol, the Cologne coach, was starting to fear for his job but the dark clouds have suddenly lifted and he's bought himself some breathing space after Cologne's first win in Dortmund since April 1991. The manner and maturity with which his team dug in their heels to keep Dortmund at bay was admirable and proof that his players remain committed to the cause.

For Dortmund, it's a familiar cocktail of missed chances, sloppiness, and a dash of unprofessionalism, the like of which has already been seen this season at Augsburg. And on a day when they could have stayed within touching distance of their great rivals from Bavaria, they are instead staring into space wondering how they've dominated the game in every possible way, but ultimately lost to a team who hadn't won since before the pandemic stopped play in the Bundesliga.

For all the exciting young players at Lucien Favre's disposal, it's these kinds of results that prove that Dortmund are merely pretenders to Bayern's crown. Bayern's long-standing supremacy in German football is built on an ability to find a way to win, but Dortmund simply don't have that mentality instilled in them. And the one player Dortmund would look to for leadership and professionalism, Mats Hummels, was found wanting on both goals and seemed to lack focus throughout, evidenced by his lazy misplaced pass in front of his own box towards the end of the first half.

The fact that Favre had to throw on Youssoufa Moukoko and Gio Reyna — combined age 34 — to save the game at 0-2 down is a problem in itself. Should Dortmund really be relying on two teenagers to dig them out of a hole and is that the best thing for their development? Moukoko, a week past his 16th birthday, still managed to show flashes of his talent though and he combined with Reyna, who laid on the assist for Thorgen Hazard to pull one back. But the damage was already done. Cologne's red wall had superbly nullified Dortmund's key attackers and there was little in the way of a Plan B from Favre, who kept throwing on attackers in the hope that something would change.

Encouragement was fleeting. When Dortmund finally prised open Cologne in the last minute of stoppage time, Erling Haaland should have elevated an indifferent personal performance with a 95th minute equalizer, but the 20-year-old somehow put the ball wide from a meter out from Marco Reus' cutback. Seven days on from scoring four against Hertha Berlin and three on from his double in the Champions League, Haaland's performance was strangely subdued. But he wasn't alone — Julian Brandt, Jadon Sancho and Reus were equally jaded.

The day belonged to Cologne's Ellyes Skhiri though. Neither of his goals, the first of which was assisted by Dortmund loanee Marius Wolf, will secure him Bundesliga goal of the month but he's unlikely to score a more important brace again. The Tunisian will be the toast of Munich on Saturday night, but for Dortmund it's a reminder that youth and potential alone are not enough to reignite their distant relationship with the Meisterschale.