Haris Tabakovic celebrates his late goal for Borussia Moenchengladbach over Borussia Dortmund
Berlin (AFP) - Borussia Moenchengladbach ensured they will remain in Germany’s top flight next season when Haris Tabakovic scored with two minutes remaining to beat Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, while Mainz pushed St Pauli closer to relegation.
Dortmund, who secured Champions League qualification last week at the other end of the table, were toothless in attack against a Gladbach side who needed the 1-0 win at home to be mathematically safe.
In the dying moments, Tabakovic broke through and finished past Dortmund goalie Gregor Kobel.
Despite a third defeat in four games, Dortmund need just two points to take second spot behind champions Bayern Munich for the fifth time in the past eight seasons.
“It wasn’t good,” Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said to DAZN. “Gladbach were sharp, they had bite – they played like they had a lot at stake, and it looked like we did not.
“The defeat was justified.”
Nico Elvedi had a strike ruled out for the hosts midway through the opening half for offside.
Tabakovic, Gladbach’s most dangerous attacker, then forced Kobel into a close-range save and fired just off target early in the second period.
With two minutes remaining, Tabakovic put the hosts ahead. His goal, ruled offside by the linesman but reinstated after a VAR check, gave Gladbach their first win over Dortmund since November 2022.
Earlier on Sunday, goals from Phillip Tietz and Phillipp Mwene took Mainz to a 2-1 win at St Pauli, securing their top-flight status next season while pushing the hosts closer to relegation.
Wolfsburg’s late draw at Freiburg pushed St Pauli, who are winless since February, into the automatic relegation spots.
“We’ve got no time to dwell on these results,” St Pauli captain Jackson Irvine told DAZN.
“We’ve got two matchdays to fight for our life.”
St Pauli have spent much of their existence in the second and third tiers but were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2024.
Wolfsburg’s 1-1 draw at Freiburg took them above St Pauli into the relegation play-off spot, while ensuring that both Hamburg and Union Berlin are also mathematically safe from relegation.
Freiburg’s point took them above Frankfurt into the Europa Conference League qualification place, although the Black Forest side could still play Champions League next year by winning the Europa League.
They trail Portuguese side Braga 2-1 with the second semi-final at home on Thursday.