Borussia Dortmund moved to within touching distance of a direct place in the Champions League round of 16 with a 2-1 home win over Real Betis Sevilla on matchday four, while RB Leipzig lost a five-goal thriller 2-3 to Manchester City in Leipzig in the parallel fixture, WELT reported. Konstantinos Karetsas scored the winner for Dortmund in the 72nd minute, and Erling Haaland struck the decisive goal for Manchester City in the 78th minute.
Dortmund, who went into the night needing results elsewhere to stay in the automatic qualification picture, took nine points from four games and climbed into the top eight of the league-phase table. Leipzig, by contrast, recorded a third defeat of the campaign and remain winless in their last three European outings after heavy losses in Como and Madrid.
Nine Points Put Dortmund on Course for the Knockout Round
Fabio Silva gave Dortmund the lead four minutes after halftime, and Aitor Ruibal leveled for the visitors in the 67th minute before Karetsas cut in from the edge of the box and fired low past goalkeeper Alvaro Valles. The match finished 2-1 in front of a sold-out crowd of 81,365 at Signal Iduna Park, WELT reported.
With nine points from four matchdays, Dortmund sit comfortably in the section of the table that would secure direct passage to the round of 16, though the new league-phase format means positions can still shift over the remaining four fixtures.
Karetsas Delivers After Guirassy Injury Forces Early Change
Dortmund started with attacking intent and nearly took an early lead when Julian Ryerson drove a cross in from the right, only for Serhou Guirassy to blaze over from close range in the third minute. Betis hit back on the counter and had a goal by Antony chalked off for offside in the 14th minute, and Daniel Svensson was denied from point-blank range by a Valles reflex in the 21st minute.
The biggest early blow was to Dortmund’s attack: Guirassy had to leave the field with thigh problems and was replaced by Karetsas, who would go on to score the winner. Niko Kovac, who had used a four-back system against Bayern Munich, returned to a three-center-back setup for the Betis game. Before kickoff, Kovac had set the tone, saying there was only one direction for his team — winning the match.
After the break, Ryerson again supplied the decisive ball from the right, Jobe Bellingham’s shot was saved by Valles, and Silva stabbed home the rebound for the 1-0 in the 49th minute. Ruibal equalized from close range after a pass from Abde in the 67th, but Karetsas answered five minutes later, and Dortmund held on.
Bartra Returns to Dortmund Eight Years After Bus Attack
Before the match, Marc Bartra — the only Dortmund player physically injured in the April 2017 bomb attack on the team bus — returned to Signal Iduna Park with Betis. The stadium facade displayed a graphic reading “Einmal Borusse, immer Borusse!” (“Once a Borusse, always a Borusse!”), and Bartra had said ahead of the return that he felt a special connection to the club. He did not play in the match, WELT reported.
Haaland Ends Leipzig’s Perfect Home Run in 2-3 Thriller
In Leipzig, Manchester City ended the home side’s flawless start to the season at Red Bull Arena — five competitive wins with no goals conceded — with a 2-3 victory in front of 45,228 spectators. Castello Lukeba turned a Nico O’Reilly cross into his own net in the 37th minute, Ridle Baku equalized in the 49th, Enzo Fernández headed City back in front in the 58th, Antonio Nusa leveled again in the 61st, and Haaland scored with his first chance of the night in the 78th minute for the winner.
Leipzig had twice come back from a goal down, but Haaland’s strike settled a frantic finish. It was Leipzig’s third defeat of the Champions League campaign, following 4-1 losses at Como and Real Madrid; their only win came 1-0 against PSV Eindhoven.
City Arrive Under Pressure but Stay Focused
Manchester City traveled to Saxony with their Premier League lead already gone after a 0-1 home loss to Brighton and a 1-2 defeat at Aston Villa, and with the club still facing the threat of a severe penalty over financial-rule breaches. City coach Enzo Maresca said before the match that the only thing his team could control was the game itself, and that the players were fully focused on football.
Demichelis Faces Ex-Club as Baumgartner Starts
For Leipzig coach Martín Demichelis, the match carried extra weight as a reunion with his former club Manchester City and with Maresca, his former teammate at Málaga. Demichelis said the emotional side was not what mattered; what mattered was facing a great team. A moment of silence was held for Jesús de Miguel, the footballer who had died.
Christoph Baumgartner made his first start of the season after a long thigh injury layoff, and said beforehand that his instinct had never left him. Rayan Cherki missed an early chance for City in the ninth minute, Nusa forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into an uncertain save in the 15th, and Baumgartner curled a shot from 20 meters just wide in the 30th. Phil Foden’s effort in the 36th preceded Lukeba’s own goal seconds later. Baumgartner had an equalizer saved by Donnarumma after halftime, Baku then made it 1-1 from a tight angle, Ezechiel Banzuzi struck the outside of the net in the 52nd, and Christopher Nkunku replaced Baumgartner before Fernández’s header and the late exchanges decided the game.
Lens on November 24, United on December 8 for Leipzig
The defeat leaves Leipzig with mounting pressure ahead of their remaining league-phase fixtures: a home game against RC Lens on November 24 followed by a trip to Manchester United on December 8. Dortmund, meanwhile, will look to close the gap to the automatic round-of-16 places over their remaining four matchdays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dortmund have nine points from four Champions League-phase games after the 2-1 win over Betis, placing them in the top eight that currently qualify directly for the round of 16.
Erling Haaland, Enzo Fernández and an own goal by Castello Lukeba scored for Manchester City against Leipzig. Castello Lukeba scored an own goal in the 37th minute, Enzo Fernández headed in the second in the 58th, and Erling Haaland scored the winner in the 78th minute.
Marc Bartra did not play against Dortmund. No. Bartra returned to Signal Iduna Park with Betis but did not come off the bench; he was greeted with a stadium message before kickoff.
Leipzig host RC Lens on November 24 and then travel to Manchester United on December 8, according to the fixture schedule reported by WELT.
Related reading
,autocrop(1200:630))