BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund needed “superhero” help from Marco Reus and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to score three times in eight minutes late on Saturday night for a 3-0 home win over Ruhr Valley rivals Schalke 04 and claim a fourth straight Bundesliga win.
Aubameyang put them ahead in the 78th minute, after last season’s runners-up squandered a dozen chances, and the Gabon international celebrated by donning a Batman mask with Marco Reus donning another mask of the superhero’s sidekick Robin.
Germany international Reus got on the scoresheet himself in the 86th after Henrikh Mkhitaryan tapped in from close range for Dortmund’s second a minute after they took the lead.
“I think Aubameyang has now run out of superhero masks,” a beaming Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp told reporters after his side reignited their hopes of European football next season.
“This is what I wished for this morning when I woke up. It was important we did not get nervous,” he said. “We have to keep up this good run because we are still only five points away from the bottom spots.”
Aubameyang also sported a Spiderman mask at the 2014 Super Cup final.
Dortmund, who produced some sloppy finishing earlier in the game and came up against superb goalkeeping from Schalke teenager Timon Wellenreuther, are up to tenth with 28 points.
The 19-year-old stopper, promoted to first choice recently because of injuries, kept his cool when Aubameyang charged forward and managed to block his effort in the fourth minute.
Wellenreuther also pulled off a string of excellent saves especially from Reus and Aubameyang.
Dortmund kept pushing and hit the woodwork through a deflected Reus effort as the 80,000-crowd grew impatient.
But Aubameyang finally broke the deadlock when he picked the ball up on the edge of the box and slotted in his 10th league goal of the season.
Armenian Mkhitaryan added another, as the Schalke defence buckled under pressure, before Reus finished them off.
Fifth-placed Schalke (35 points), without a shot on goal despite having striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar back from suspension, have now won one of their last five league games.
Fellow Champions League combatants Bayer Leverkusen, buoyed by a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in midweek, grabbed
their first victory in four league games, beating Freiburg 1-0 to climb to fourth, a point ahead of Schalke.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Alex Meier scored twice, including a penalty, and also missed a stoppage-time spot kick as they beat Hamburg SV 2-1, with their opponents playing much of the second half with 10 men after Matthias Ostrzolek was sent off.
Leaders Bayern Munich are 11 points clear at the top after crushing Cologne 4-1 on Friday.
REUTERS
