'Extremely Bitter' as Dortmund Hand Bayern Title Advantage

Dortmund midfielder Emre Can signals to the referee in his side's match away at Bochum on Friday. INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Dortmund midfielder Emre Can signals to the referee in his side's match away at Bochum on Friday. INA FASSBENDER / AFP
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'Extremely Bitter' as Dortmund Hand Bayern Title Advantage

Dortmund midfielder Emre Can signals to the referee in his side's match away at Bochum on Friday. INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Dortmund midfielder Emre Can signals to the referee in his side's match away at Bochum on Friday. INA FASSBENDER / AFP

Borussia Dortmund handed the advantage in the Bundesliga title race back to Bayern Munich on Friday after being held to a 1-1 draw at lowly Bochum.

Bochum, who sit one spot and just two points above the relegation zone, scored after just five minutes, Anthony Losilla unleashing a screamer from outside the box, said AFP.

Dortmund hit back immediately, Germany forward Karim Adeyemi tapping in after a length-of-the-field team move to make it 1-1.

With the match winding down, Adeyemi looked to have won a penalty for the visiting side when brought down in the box by Danilo Soares, but the referee waved the incident away.

Dortmund were camped in the Bochum penalty area in the final minutes and had the ball in the net through Mats Hummels, but the linesman's flag went up immediately, with the defender standing half a meter offside.

Bayern can go one point clear in their bid for an 11th straight title by winning at home against last-placed Hertha Berlin on Sunday.

Dortmund manager Edin Terzic lamented the "extremely bitter" result as his side had a "rare chance to be so close to the championship."

Terzic said the referee's failure to check the Adeyemi penalty incident was "a key scene" in the draw, revealing to broadcaster DAZN "I begged him to look at it."

His Bochum counterpart Thomas Letsch toasted "the style and manner the team fought" saying "that's what we need in a relegation battle."

Disappointed Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel said his side "had the title in our own hands, but couldn't make the most of it."

"We need to look forward, keep fighting and win our next game."

Dortmund came into the match knowing a win would send them four points clear.

But they arrived winless in their last five away matches in all competitions and faced a Bochum side kept out of the relegation places due to their strong home form.

Bochum made the most of a nervy start from the visitors, Losilla latching onto a poor Dortmund clearance to rocket the ball across Gregor Kobel and into the top left of the net.

Terzic booked

Dortmund hit back 90 seconds later, Hummels curling a long pass to winger Donyell Malen on the right flank, who slipped his defender and sent the ball across.

Striker Sebastien Haller got a toe to the pass, guiding it into the path of Adeyemi, who tapped it in to level the scores.

Midway through the second half, Adeyemi went down in the box under heavy attention from Soares, but the referee waved the incident away without checking the VAR monitor.

With time winding down, Edin Terzic brought on fresh legs, including captain Marco Reus and teenage striker Youssoufa Moukoko.

Moukoko, who scored a brace when the two sides met earlier in the season, almost had an immediate impact, forcing a reflex save from Manuel Riemann.

Riemann saved Bochum again less than a minute later, getting an outstretched hand to a curling shot from English teenager Jude Bellingham.

With one minute remaining, Hummels sent the visiting fans into raptures when he headed the ball into the goal, but his effort was chalked out for offside, a decision which will be celebrated in the Bavarian capital.

Terzic remonstrated with the referee, who went over to the sideline to explain the decision to the Dortmund boss, giving the protesting coach a yellow card in the process.



Ruud Beats Draper in Madrid Open Final to Win his First Masters 1000 Title

04 May 2025, Spain, Madrid: Norwegian tennis player Casper Ruud celebrates winning the Madrid Open 2025 tournament at La Caja Magica. Photo: Alberto Gardin/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
04 May 2025, Spain, Madrid: Norwegian tennis player Casper Ruud celebrates winning the Madrid Open 2025 tournament at La Caja Magica. Photo: Alberto Gardin/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Ruud Beats Draper in Madrid Open Final to Win his First Masters 1000 Title

04 May 2025, Spain, Madrid: Norwegian tennis player Casper Ruud celebrates winning the Madrid Open 2025 tournament at La Caja Magica. Photo: Alberto Gardin/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
04 May 2025, Spain, Madrid: Norwegian tennis player Casper Ruud celebrates winning the Madrid Open 2025 tournament at La Caja Magica. Photo: Alberto Gardin/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Casper Ruud became the first Norwegian to win a Masters 1000 title after beating Jack Draper 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the Madrid Open final on Sunday.
The former second-ranked Ruud rallied from 5-3 down in the first set and sealed the victory after capitalizing on his lone break at 2-2 in the third, The Associated Press reported.
The 26-year-old Ruud yelled and thrust both arms into the air after clinching the win on his first match point on the Caja Magica clay court.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Ruud said. “(This was) one of the really big goals I dreamed about when I was young, so it’s an incredible feeling to accomplish it. Also the way I did it today, it was a great match. I knew Jack had been playing unbelievable all year, and especially in this tournament, so I knew that if I didn’t bring my A-plus game, I was going to be whooped around the court."
The 15th-ranked Ruud will return to the top 10 thanks to his campaign in Madrid, reaching No. 7 in the rankings on Monday.
“Luckily, I played really well," Ruud said. "Jack has become such an incredible player, on any surface now ... This is a really big boost for me, and I would like to keep it going.”
The 13-time tour champion is the first Norwegian to lift a Masters 1000 trophy since the series was introduced in 1990, according to the ATP. It was Ruud’s third such final after losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo last year and to Carlo Alcaraz in Miami in 2022.
Ruud has more titles (12) on clay than any other player since the start of 2020, according to the ATP.
Draper won at Indian Wells in March. After his quarterfinal victory in Madrid, he secured a top-five debut in the rankings.
Draper said Ruud was “braver” than him in the key moments on Sunday.
“You deserve this,” he said. "You’ve obviously put in so much hard work and constantly had very good years on the tour ... This sport is brutal, but I think this loss is going to make me better, so I’ll keep trying.”
The tournament in Madrid was disrupted early last week because of a major blackout that brought Spain and Portugal to a standstill on Monday, prompting the postponement of 22 matches in total.
Ruud had needed to take a couple of painkillers during his semifinal win over Francisco Cerundolo after feeling a rib ailment during his warmup, but there were no signs of any injury on Sunday.
Draper, who like Ruud had not lost a set on his way to the final, served for the first set at 5-4 but couldn't finish it. The 23-year-old British player was visibly upset, and kept talking to himself and to his staff for a while during the changeover.
The men's side of the draw lost most of its top players early. Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz had to withdraw from the tournament because of an injury, and Novak Djokovic lost to Matteo Arnaldi in his opening match.
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka defeated Coco Gauff in the women's final on Saturday.