Late opportunity for Durm! Dortmund continuing piling forward as they desperately try to find a late goal, and the ball bobbles around the Cologne penalty area as yellow shirts swarm into it. Durm is eventually able to pick up possession on the right-hand side of the box before unleashing a low shot, but there isn't quite enough power behind the strike and it ends up deflecting off an outstretched leg and into the hands of Kessler.
89'
What a chance for Hummels! The captain is presented with the perfect opportunity to end his Dortmund career on a high after being set up by Reus on the edge of the Cologne box, but his first-time, thumping strike ends up sailing comfortably wide of the far post and out for a goal-kick. Will that prove to be the hosts' final chance of the afternoon?
88'
Dortmund work the ball around quickly just outside of the Cologne penalty area, with Ramos playing an important role in the attacking move by holding up the ball with his back to goal. He out-muscles his marker before poking a pass into the feet of Reus, who then tries to penetrate the box, but his run is brought to a premature end by Mavraj, who does well to dispossess the attacking midfielder before he can get a shot away.
86'
Y. Osako enters the game and replaces P. Olkowski.
Osako, who hasn't scored a single goal since the opening game of the season, comes on to replace Olkowski. Can he make the difference for Cologne?
85'
What a chance for Reus! Beautiful, one-touch football from Dortmund results in the number 11 picking up the ball in a dangerous position just outside of the Cologne box. He skips past his marker with ease before looking to fire a thumping shot into the top right-hand corner of the net, but he leans back slightly as he makes contact with the ball and ends up sending his 18-yard effort flying several yards over the top of the crossbar.
84'
E. Durm enters the game and replaces J. Weigl.
Durm comes on to replace Weigl in Dortmund's final change of the game.
83'
The sea of white shirts camped in front of Dortmund are making life extremely difficult for the hosts, who just can't seem to find a way into the Cologne penalty area. As a result, they've been forced into shooting from distance, but Leitner's audacious long-range effort fails to trouble Kessler and ends up sailing straight into the goalkeeper's hands in the middle of the visitors' goal.
82'
S. Zoller enters the game and replaces L. Bittencourt.
81'
Bittencourt looks to be struggling with an injury after pulling up a couple of times during the second half, and he's finally replaced by Zoller, who comes on to feature for the final nine minutes of the game.
79'
Dortmund patiently work the ball around inside the Cologne half of the pitch as they try to find a way through the visitors, who are well-organised and defending diligently as they aim to hold on to a well-earned point. Aubemeyang eventually picks up possession on the edge of the penalty area and tries to break into the box, but he's too slow on the ball and is easily dispossessed by Risse. The midfielder immediately tries to pick out Modeste, but his pass forward is slightly overhit and misses the striker on the halfway line.
Minute
Description
77'
Castro and Ginter link up well deep down the right flank before the latter tees up the former just outside of the Cologne penalty area. He takes a quick touch before chipping a dangerous cross into the middle of the box, but there's nobody there to meet it before the visitors are just about able to deal with the danger. Dortmund come back again quickly, however, before Reus charges towards the goal, but Kessler is there to cut out the danger at the vital moment.
75'
M. Reus has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund!
GOAL! What a strike by Reus! After spending an age eyeing up his target, the attacking midfielder steps up and curls a thumping shot past the wall of white shirts in front of him and into the right-hand side of the net. Kessler was standing there already but was unable to get a hand on the ball due to the swerve of the number 11's effort, which was brilliantly hit. Can they find another to go back in front once again?
73'
Time is running out for Dortmund, who are continuing to fly forward in search of an equaliser but have so far struggled inside the final third of the pitch, resulting in them failing to have a single shot on goal since the first half. However, they're gifted with the perfect opportunity to do so when Ramos is clumsily bundled over by Mavraj on the edge of the Cologne box, resulting in a free-kick in a very dangerous position.
71'
Excellent save by Burki! Bittencourt flies down the left wing on an excellent run before cutting an even better pass straight over to Modeste. The striker receives the ball on the edge of the Dortmund penalty area and skips past Schmelzer before trying to toe-poke a strike into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, but the hosts' goalkeeper is there to tip the shot over the top of the crossbar with a brilliant, acrobatic stop.
69'
Vital interception by Lehmann! Yellow shirts swarm into the Cologne penalty area before the ball is worked out to Ginter on the right flank. He immediately sends a great low cross straight into the feet of Reus, but after taking a quick touch and looking to shoot the attacking midfielder is dispossessed by a great tackle from behind by Lehmann, denying him the opportunity to test Kessler.
67'
Y. Gerhardt enters the game and replaces M. Jojić.
Jojic makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Gerhardt in Cologne's first alteration of the day.
66'
What an opportunity for Olkowski! Modeste rises high and beats his marker before nodding the ball into the path of Risse, who is completely unmarked deep inside the Dortmund half of the pitch. The midfielder charges forward before poking a lovely through-ball into the path of the marauding right wing-back, but his close-range strike is well smothered by Burki at the near post.
64'
It just doesn't quite seem to be working for Dortmund, who have struggled over the past few minutes whenever they push forward. This time it's Weigl who brings a promising attacking move to an end with a poor pass, as his lofted cross-field ball over to Schmelzer completely misses the defender before bouncing harmlessly out of play for a Cologne throw-in on the left wing.
62'
And now Bittencourt goes close! Cologne are causing Dortmund plenty of problems, and Risse is playing an important role in almost every one of the visitors' attacking moves. This time he picks up the ball on the right wing before curling a wonderful cross into the middle of the box, where it finds Bittencourt, but after doing so well to bring the ball down he's unable to beat Burki with his thumping close-range strike. The ball then bounces out to Modeste, but the linesman's flag is raised for offside before the striker can tap a shot into the back of the net.
60'
So close from Modeste! Sloppy play by Dortmund gifts possession to Risse, who immediately sends a beautiful pass through the hosts' disjointed defence and into the path of the French striker. He goes through on goal and charges towards the edge of the penalty area, but just as he's about to go one-on-one with Burki the linesman's flag is raised for offside. What a let off that was for the hosts!
58'
M. Leitner enters the game and replaces S. Kagawa.
Dortmund have made their second change of the afternoon, with Kagawa, who has been slightly disappointing today, making way for Leitner.
57'
Bittencourt and Sokratis battle for the ball down the left wing before the German is tripped to the ground, resulting in a free-kick for Cologne in an advantageous position. The Dortmund centre-back has already been booked and a few of the visitors complain to the referee that his challenge should have resulted in a second yellow, but the man in charge, who is retiring after today, laughs them off. The set-piece is taken short before being flung into the box, but Hummels is there to cut out the danger before Modeste can get a head on the ball.
56'
Vital touch by Mladenovic! Dortmund keep coming back at Cologne and work the ball around quickly inside the visitors' half of the pitch. Castro then spots the run of Aubameyang and tries to chip a lofted pass into the path of the forward, but the Serbian wing-back is just about able to get a head on it to put off the Gabon international, who then knocks the ball off his thigh and into the hands of Kessler at the near post.
54'
Kagawa breaks towards the edge of the Cologne box before working the ball out to Ginter, who quickly swings a cross off Mladenovic and out for a corner. The set-piece is curled towards the near post, but once again it's poorly hit and fails to beat the first man, which results in audible groans ringing around the stadium.
52'
Dortmund come back once again and throw every available body forward in search of an equaliser. Hummels, who has spent the vast majority of the game operating almost as another midfielder, picks up the ball on the edge of the Cologne penalty area and immediately knocks the ball past Lehmann before looking to shoot, but just as he's about to do so the referee awards a free-kick to the visitors for a handball from the centre-back, whose smile seems to suggest that he knows he's been caught out.
50'
Reus twists and turns just outside of the Cologne penalty area before going down under a challenge in a very dangerous position. It looks as if the referee is going to give a free-kick but at the last minute he decides not to and instead waves play on, much to the annoyance of the Dortmund players and fans. The hosts are finally able to win a free-kick over on the right flank due to a challenge from Bittencourt, but it's poorly hit and fails to beat the first man.
48'
Once again, Weigl, who has been very busy thus far, picks up the ball in plenty of space deep inside the Cologne half of the pitch before trying to pick out a teammate with a lofted pass forward. This time he sends a cross into the heart of the penalty area, but it's fired too near to Kessler and the second-choice goalkeeper is easily able to collect the ball before it can reach a player in a yellow shirt.
47'
Reus sprints down the left wing and heads towards the byline before spinning quickly and picking out Weigl. The midfielder is in plenty of space and does well to spot the run of Ginter, who he then sends a lofted pass to. The substitute does well to meet it near to the corner flag on the right but his first touch is far too heavy and sends the ball bouncing out of play for a goal-kick.
46'
M. Ginter enters the game and replaces S. Bender.
Dortmund have made one substitution during the half-time break, with Bender making way for Ginter.
And we're underway once again!
45'
S. Papastathopoulos gets yellow.
Dortmund are almost caught out once again after losing the ball in the middle of the pitch and allowing Modeste to charge down the right flank, but Sokratis is there and hauls back the French striker before being shown the first yellow card of the game. It was a cynical challenge from the centre-back, but it's one that needed to be done.
43'
M. Jojić has scored a goal for FC Cologne! Assist by L. Bittencourt.
Bittencourt picked out the run of Jojic perfectly, but once again Dortmund were all over the place at the back. The attack-minded back three that they're currently playing looks disjointed whenever they lose the ball, and they're gifting Cologne with opportunities to hit them on the counter, which so far they have done brilliantly.
GOAL! Cologne have taken the lead! A half-hearted Dortmund attack breaks down, allowing the visitors to quickly hit them on the counter. Bittencourt looks up from the halfway line and immediately sends a beautiful lofted pass over the hosts' disjointed back line and into the path of Jojic, who is completely unmarked and able to send an excellent volley over the head of the onrushing Burki and into the back of the net. What a fantastic move from Peter Stoger's men!
42'
Another chance for Aubameyang! Once again, a thumped cross finds the forward in front of goal, but his first touch lets him down and sends the ball looping up into the air. He's just about to get another touch on it before trying to poke a shot under the body of Kessler, but the Cologne goalkeeper does wonderfully well to make himself big before Heintz blasts a clearance out to the right wing.
41'
And now Aubameyang goes close! Dortmund keep coming back at Cologne as yellow shirts continue to swarm forward with purpose. Hummels, who has almost been operating as a left wing-back thus far, picks up the ball out wide and immediately sends a curling cross into the heart of the penalty area, where it finds Aubameyang, but the forward can only send his close-range header straight into the hands of Kessler in the middle of the goal.
40'
Great run by Reus! He picks up the ball deep down the left flank and immediately starts sprinting into the Cologne penalty area. He weaves his way through several white shirts and heads towards the byline before picking out Ramos with a lovely back-heel, but it's executed slightly too late and the linesman awards the visitors a goal-kick just as the Colombian striker's poked shot from close range is saved by Kessler.
38'
Great save by Kessler! Both sides seem not to have learnt their lessons from the earlier goals, as this time Cologne are guilty of once again leaving Castro in far too much space just outside of the penalty area. Just like before, he takes a quick touch and looks up before unleashing an almighty strike that weaves through the air before the visitors' goalkeeper is just about able to punch the effort over the crossbar and out for a corner.
36'
In an almost identical way to what happened in the build-up to Modeste's goal, Dortmund clumsily lose the ball in the middle of the pitch and gift Cologne with the perfect opportunity to break away on a quick counter-attack. Risse charges down the right flank before once again trying to pick out the French striker, but this time his lofted cross is cut out well by Bender at the vital moment.
34'
Reus goes close! Aubameyang bursts past his marker deep down the right wing before curling a lovely cross into the middle of the Cologne penalty area. It meets Reus well and he immediately unleashes a curling volley from 10 yards out, but he's unable to keep the strike down and it ends up flying over the top of the crossbar by a yard or two.
33'
Modeste limps back on to the pitch and the game resumes once again, with Dortmund patiently working their way towards the Cologne box. After holding on to the ball for what feels like an age, Castro tries to pick out Bender with a lofted pass over towards the corner flag on the right wing, but Mladenovic is there to beat his opponent to the ball before heading it out of play for a throw-in.
31'
Weigl and Modeste clash whilst battling for the ball in the middle of the pitch, and the coming together leaves the French striker down on the floor and in serious discomfort. It looks as if he may have rolled his ankle slightly and it certainly seems to be causing him plenty of discomfort, and he makes his way off the pitch to receive medical treatment.
29'
Reus hits the post! A lofted pass forward from Weigl finds Ramos just outside of the Cologne penalty area, and he immediately nods the ball over his marker and into the feet of Reus. He brings the ball down quickly before beating Kessler with a low half-volley, but it hits the woodwork before the linesman raises his flag for offside.
27'
A. Modeste has scored a goal for FC Cologne! Assist by M. Risse.
Risse did wonderfully well to beat Hummels before finding Modeste with a great low cross, but Dortmund were far too open at the back. Time and time again, they've been been throwing too many bodies forward when attacking, and it's left them incredibly susceptible to counter-attacks.
GOAL! Cologne have pulled one back! After having to defend diligently for so long, the visitors break away on a blisteringly quick counter-attack after winning back possession. Risse flies down the right wing before picking out Modeste with a perfect pass, and the French striker is easily able to beat Burki with a thumping first-time strike from close range. Game on!
25'
It's wave after wave of Dortmund attack at the moment, but once again they undo all of their hard work with a poor pass at the end of a promising move. This time it's Castro who weaves his way through a sea of white shirts before trying to poke a pass into the path of Reus, but there's too much power on the ball forward and it rolls past the number 11 before going out of play for a goal-kick.
23'
Cologne are briefly able to pick up possession in the middle of the pitch, but they almost immediately lose the ball and allow Dortmund to come back at them. Kagawa sprints towards the edge of the penalty area before teeing up Aubameyang, who is forced to go wide out on the right. The forward then chips a looping cross over towards Ramos at the back post, but Kessler is there to easily cut out the danger before it can find the Colombian.
21'
It's all Dortmund at the moment as they continue to swarm into the Cologne half of the pitch. The visitors can't get anywhere near the ball and have been forced into sitting extremely deep, which is making life increasingly easy for the hosts. However, since Castro's goal it hasn't quite been working for the Black and Yellows, as they seem to be lacking the killer instinct needed inside in the final third.
19'
Dortmund patiently pass the ball around deep inside the Cologne half of the pitch as they run rings around the visitors, who are finding it incredibly difficult to deal with the sea of yellow shirts surrounding them. Hummels, who has spent the majority of the game thus far camped far up the pitch, breaks towards the box before finding Kagawa, who then tries to chip a pass into the path of Ramos, but it's slightly overhit by the Japanese midfielder and bounces out of play for a goal-kick before it can find the Colombian.
17'
What a chance for Bittencourt to pull a goal back! Mladenovic sprints down the left wing before being pushed to the ground by Sokratis, resulting in a free-kick for Cologne in a very dangerous position. Jojic's cross into the penalty area is poor but Dortmund's clearance can only find Risse. The midfielder brings the ball down quickly before chipping a beautiful pass straight into the feet of Bittencourt, who is in acres of space inside the box, but he ends up scuffing his shot just wide of the near post after beating Burki.
15'
Another great stop by Mavraj! Once again, Cologne's defence struggle to deal with a long ball forward. This time it's Aubameyang that reaches it next to the byline before thumping a volleyed cross over towards Ramos, but the Albanian centre-back is there to deal with the danger on the edge of the six-yard box.
13'
Dortmund immediately win back the ball and push forward in search of a second goal. A lofted pass forward finds Schmelzer, who had made a great run into the left-hand side of the Cologne box. The wing-back controls it comfortably before trying to poke the ball over to Kagawa, but just as it's about to find the Japanese attacking midfielder, Mavraj is just about able to get a foot in the way to stop it from doing so.
11'
G. Castro has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund! Assist by M. Schmelzer.
GOAL! What a strike! Schmelzer breaks down the left flank and holds up the ball near to the corner flag before spinning and picking out Castro. The midfielder is completely unmarked on the edge of the penalty area and isn't closed down quick enough by the Cologne defenders, allowing him to control the pass before firing a beautiful shot past the outstretched limbs of Kessler and into the top left-hand corner of the net.
Schmelzer did well to pick out Castro in so much space, but the Cologne defenders really should have dealt with the danger quicker. As soon as the midfielder had received the ball they should have put him under pressure, but instead they sat back and invited him to shoot.
10'
Mladenovic is brought down in the middle of the pitch, resulting in a free-kick for Cologne and one of their first chances of the game to embark on a patient attacking move. Instead, Mavraj fires a hopeful lofted pass over to the right wing, but it's easily cut out by Sokratis and the Greek defender can easily head the ball into the safe hands of Burki.
8'
Vital interception by Mladenovic! Kagawa breaks towards the Cologne penalty area on a great run before trying to chip a deft pass over to Ramos, but he holds on to the ball for slightly too long and ends up seeing his pass deflect off the body of the Serbian defender, who did well to dive in front of the Japan international.
6'
A lofted pass forward finds Ramos on the edge of the Cologne penalty area, and he does well to control the ball before spinning and trying to find Schmelzer. His pass is poor, however, and is easily cut out by Mavraj, but the defender's attempted clearance is even worse and goes straight back to the Colombian forward. He then works the ball over to Bender on the right flank, but he's unable to beat Mladenovic and ends up poking the ball out of play.
4'
Weigl is dispossessed in the middle of the pitch and Cologne immediately break forward on a quick counter-attack. Risse does well to tee up Modeste, who then holds up the ball before spinning and finding Jojic. The Serbian breaks into the right-hand side of the Dortmund penalty area before going one-on-one with Hummels, but the centre-back comes out on top and does well to win his side a goal-kick.
2'
The ball bobbles around the edge of the Cologne penalty area as Dortmund immediately put the visitors under plenty of pressure. The hosts are forced into playing the ball back to the halfway line, however, before patiently working their way forward once again, but a poor pass from Weigl slides under the foot of Kagawa and finds Heintz, who then blasts a clearance out of play for a throw-in.
1'
And we're off! Dortmund get us underway, attacking from left to right.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Bundesliga game between Borussia Dortmund and Cologne at Signal Iduna Park.
Last weekend’s defeat away to Eintracht Frankfurt, combined with Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory against Ingolstadt, confirmed that the Bundesliga title went to the Bavarian giants once again, and it means that Dortmund have very little to play for in their final game of what has been a positive first season in charge for Thomas Tuchel. A win here today will move his side on to 80 points, their highest tally since 2012 and one that would have resulted in them winning the title last year. A victory will also result in the Black and Yellows finishing the season without a single home defeat in the league, a feat they haven’t achieved since the 2008-09 campaign. Whilst a second-place finish may already be a certainty, Dortmund will nonetheless be looking to bounce back from the disappointing defeat suffered against Frankfurt with a positive performance here this afternoon, especially seeing as today’s clash is their final dress rehearsal before next Saturday’s DFB-Pokal final against Bayern.
This season has been an impressive one for Cologne, who are currently on course for their first finish in the top half of the Bundesliga table since 1992 thanks to a string of solid performances. The struggles of the last campaign seem to be a thing on the past, and a record of 10 wins thus far has led them to a points tally of 42, only the second time that they have managed to accumulate so many since reaching 46 at the end of the 2000-01 campaign. The Billy Goats are currently in good form as well, despite their last two games ending in goalless draws, and head to Signal Iduna Park unbeaten in their last four league clashes, two of which ended in victories. Peter Stoger’s side haven’t gone five without losing since all season, so they will be looking to end the season on a high with a positive result against a Dortmund side that may end up taking their foot off the pedal this afternoon.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up afternoon…
Thomas Tuchel has decided to make three changes to the Dortmund side that started the defeat away to Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, with outgoing centre-back Mats Hummels featuring for the Black and Yellows for the final time at Signal Iduna Park. Meanwhile, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Julian Weigl and Gonzalo Castro all come into the starting line-up to replace Erik Durm, Nuri Sahin and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the latter of whom is suspended.
Meanwhile, Cologne boss Peter Stoger has made five alterations to the side that featured in their last Bundesliga outing, with the biggest talking point being the inclusion of long-serving goalkeeper Thomas Kessler, who features in between the posts for the first time this season. Also joining him in today’s squad are Pawel Olkowski, Filip Mladenovic, Matthias Lehmann and Milo Jojic, who feature in place of Frederik Sorensen, Jonas Hector, Yannick Gerhardt and Simon Zoller, respectively.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: BORUSSIA DORTMUND 1-2 COLOGNE
Boos and jeers ring around the stadium as the two sides make their way off the pitch, and the Dortmund players and fans look shellshocked at what has happened. Despite bossing possession and spending the vast majority of the first half camped inside the Cologne half, the hosts head into the half-time break a goal down after being hit on the counter on two separate occasions. Each time they failed to get back into position quick enough and left far too much space open to the visitors, who hit them perfectly and fully deserve their lead after performing so well. If things remain this way, they will become the first team to do the double over Dortmund in the Bundesliga this season.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2-2 COLOGNE
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and brings an end to the 2015-16 Bundesliga season! Today's game ended in a result that was a positive one for both teams, as it means that Dortmund have finished the campaign unbeaten at home whilst Cologne have ended the season in the top half of the table for the first time in 14 years. In the end, the hosts were made to work extremely hard for the point, as, despite going ahead first early on, they were pegged back by a determined Cologne side. Modeste and Jojic struck to make life difficult for Dortmund, but Reus was on hand to salvage a point with an excellent free-kick with 15 minutes left to play.
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