Borussia Dortmund managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Freiburg at Europa-Park Stadion, even though they played with ten men for nearly half the match. Jobe Bellingham received a red card in the 53rd minute
for a last-man foul, leaving Dortmund with a numerical disadvantage. Despite this setback, Niko Kovac's team held firm through seven minutes of added time.
Gregor Kobel admitted partial responsibility for Bellingham's red card. His pass from the back put Bellingham in a difficult position, leading to Philipp Treu intercepting and being fouled by the young midfielder. Referee Felix Zwayer showed Bellingham a straight red card after this incident.
Before the sending off, Dortmund had taken the lead through Ramy Bensebaini's close-range goal from Yan Couto's free-kick in the 31st minute. Carney Chukwuemeka also came close to scoring for Dortmund but hit the post. After Bellingham's dismissal, Freiburg dominated and equalised when Lucas Holer executed an impressive scissor kick from Christian Gunter's cross.
Freiburg thought they had secured victory late on when Igor Matanovic scored. However, VAR intervened, ruling Maximilian Eggestein offside in a crowded penalty area. This decision ensured that both teams shared the points.
The draw meant Dortmund missed an opportunity to overtake RB Leipzig and remained nine points behind Bayern Munich. Meanwhile, Freiburg stayed in ninth place in the league standings. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Dortmund extended their impressive run of just one defeat in their last 22 Bundesliga matches.
Heading back home with a point.pic.twitter.com/rtOjZNU3qhBorussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow)December 14, 2025
Bellingham's Career Red Cards
This was only Jobe Bellingham’s second red card in his senior career of 153 appearances. His first dismissal occurred while playing for Sunderland against QPR in November 2024. The match statistics highlighted Freiburg’s dominance with 21 shots compared to Dortmund’s nine and an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.51 to 0.93 in favour of Freiburg.
Dortmund’s resilience was evident as they maintained their strong form since March, suffering only one loss across Europe’s top five leagues during this period. Only Bayern Munich have recorded fewer defeats than Dortmund in this timeframe.
