Dortmund ease past Dinamo Zagreb to stay on qualification course

Updated: Nov 27, 2024, 05:49 pm

Borussia Dortmund eased past hosts Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday to stay firmly on course for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification to the round of 16.

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens fired last year's finalists into a deserved lead in the 41st minute before the unmarked Ramy Bensebaini headed in their second goal in the 56th minute.

Forward Serhou Guirassy, back after a short illness, also got on the scoresheet in the 90th minute, slotting in after coming on as a substitute.

The Ruhr valley club, who also hit the woodwork twice, have now won four of their five matches in the competition despite struggling on the road in the Bundesliga this season with no away wins.

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens scored the opening goal for Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb.

They are now on 12 points in fourth place of the new-format Champions League with three games left. Dinamo are on seven points in 23rd.

The top eight teams automatically qualify for the knockout stage while the next 16 teams go into qualification playoffs.

"To win away from home is something that feels great," Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin told a press conference.

"It is important for the table, for our morale. It was not an easy game but we let the ball roll and after the 1-0 we became even more dominant. Now we need to keep working."

"I look forward to that game [against Bayern] but I want to enjoy the evening tonight with my boys and from tomorrow the focus will be on Bayern," Sahin said.

It was one-way traffic from the start with Dortmund controlling possession and hitting the woodwork through Bensebaini's looping header and Donyell Malen's effort a little later.

The Dutch forward then saw Dinamo keeper Danijel Zagorac spectacularly stop his point-blank header in the 41st minute, seconds before the ball landed with Bynoe-Gittens who shook off two defenders and unleashed an unstoppable shot past the keeper.

Bensebaini then did it better himself, heading in a corner after being left with far too much space in the box.

Dinamo's Zagorac had to come to the rescue again in the 65th minute, palming a deflected Malen shot wide.

Zagorac could do nothing in the final minute of the game when Guirassy broke clear and pounced on a deflected pass to slot in through the keeper's legs.