A SECOND-HALF GOAL from Emre Can fired Borussia Dortmund to a 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday, keeping them within seven points of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich on a matchday dominated by displays of support for the Black Lives Matter protests.
Dortmund players warmed up in T-shirts bearing messages of solidarity such as “no justice, no peace”, before taking a knee in the centre circle with their Hertha colleagues for a moment’s silence before kick-off.
England winger Jadon Sancho, who was among the first Bundesliga players to lend his voice to the protests last weekend, missed from close range just after the break before setting up Can with a deft chip over the back line on 57 minutes.
While Bayern Munich look unlikely to be caught at the top of the table, this win at least allows Dortmund to worry less about what’s happening behind them in the race for Champions League qualification.
The top four in Germany qualify for the Champions League group stages, and Dortmund are now six points clear of fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
Leverkusen fell to a 4-2 defeat at home to Bayern Munich earlier today, while third-placed RB Leipzig also points, held 1-1 at home to bottom-of-the-table Paderborn.
Hertha remain ninth.
