BERLIN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three first-half goals in a five-minute span propelled Borussia Dortmund to a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg in the final Bundesliga match of 2024 on Sunday.
Dortmund dominated from the outset and opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Donyell Malen headed home Ramy Bensebaini's corner.
Just three minutes later, Dortmund doubled its lead. Maximilian Beier reacted quickly to the rebound of Julian Brandt's initial shot and slotted home from close range.
Dortmund continued its attack, and Brandt got on the scoresheet in the 30th minute. Beier's precise through ball found the Germany international, who made no mistake to make it 3-0.
After the break, Dortmund turned defensive and allowed Wolfsburg to take control. The home side pulled one back in the 58th minute when Denis Vavro nodded in Maximilian Arnold's corner.
Dortmund's situation worsened moments later when Pascal Gross was shown a straight red card for a foul on Lukas Nmecha, who was through on goal.
Despite its numerical advantage, Wolfsburg failed to create clear-cut chances in the closing stages as Dortmund held on for three points.
"We were very efficient in front of goal in the first half. The second half wasn't good, but we won and that's what counts today. Sixth place isn't our target, though, so we've got a lot of work to do after the winter break," said Beier.
"In the first half we gave the game away within five minutes. We were out of sorts in both attack and defense and Dortmund punished us. We responded in the second half, but it wasn't enough. You can't expect to come back from three goals down," Wolfsburg captain Arnold noted.
In Sunday's other match, bottom side Bochum earned its first win of the season, beating Heidenheim 2-0. Early goals from Moritz Broschinski and Matus Bero gave Bochum a glimmer of hope heading into the winter break. ■
