Dortmund drop into the Europa League
A 3-1 defeat for Borussia Dortmund at the hands of Sporting CP condemned Borussia Dortmund to Europa League football for the remainder of the season, with the German outfit no longer able to catch their Portuguese opponents in the group with just one game to go.
Borussia Dortmund have been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League pic.twitter.com/pfsJEH0C0E
— BVB Buzz (@BVBBuzz) November 24, 2021
Marco Rose was without star man Erling Haaland, but was not helped by a wide array of poor performances from individuals in his side. 2-0 down at half-time thanks to a brace from Pedro Goncalves, they lost Emre Can to a red card midway through the second half, before Pedro Porro added a third goal.
Emre Can is off! That’s #BVB‘s #UCL season likely done. What a dumpster fire!
— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) November 24, 2021
A late goal from Donyell Malen did little to lift the mood of the visitors, who now know that they will be relegated to the second tier of European competition when the knockout stages roll around.
Haaland at risk of missing top competitions
Now, for their talisman, comes a tricky decision.
Haaland is widely expected not to be at Dortmund beyond next summer, when a release clause in his contract will likely see his departure from Dortmund, and probably Germany.
When Erling Haaland returns from injury next year, he’ll be in the Europa League 😐 pic.twitter.com/RBYmaH6Pef
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 24, 2021
However, with Haaland already missing the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 due to Norway failing to qualify, missing further game time on the highest stage could prove too much for the superstar.
With Dortmund backed into a corner come the summer, could the prodigy look to jump ship early, landing his current club extra cash, and himself a higher level of football, in the same fell swoop?
And where would he end up?
