BVB lost out on automatic Champions League qualification after losing 3-1 away to Hoffenheim.
The Yellow’s started the season outstandingly when they won six out of their first seven games, however, some costly results, followed by a poor finish to the season meant the eight-time Bundesliga champions saw their hopes of a third-place finish slip through their fingers.
Here are the key matches which cost the side.
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Red Bull Leipzig
The Yellows were on fire in the build-up to this game, but Leipzig extinguished BVB and beat them in their own backyard.
It looked as if Dortmund were going to record another victory when Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang opened the scoring for BVB, however, goals from Marcel Sabitzer, Yussuf Poulsen, and Jean-Kevin Augustin took the game away from Peter Bosz’s side.
Aubameyang scored a second to threaten a comeback but in the end, Dortmund never really did enough to deserve a point.
This defeat was the catalyst of an abysmal run of eight games without a victory.
Dortmund 4-4 Schalke
BVB season looked to be spinning out of control, having lost four matches out of five in the build-up to the first ‘Revier Derby’ of the season.
However, Dortmund came flying out of the blocks like Usain Bolt and fired home four goals within 13 first-half minutes.
But, the second half was a completely different story as Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was sent off and goals from Guido Burgstaller, Amine Harit, Daniel Caligiuri and a stoppage-time equalizer from Naldo consigned BVB to a humiliating draw.
Bayern Munich 6-0 Borussia Dortmund
Never has the gap between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund been so evident than this game.
BVB were enjoying a mini-revival under Peter Stoeger and were reasonably confident going into ‘Der Klassiker.’
But Bayern Munich blew their rivals away as goals from James Rodriguez, Thomas Muller, Frank Ribery and to rub salt into the wounds, a hattrick from former Dortmund hitman Robert Lewandowski consigned BVB to their heaviest Der Klassiker defeat since an 11-1 drubbing in 1971.
Dortmund 1-2 Mainz
Victory against Mainz would have ensured automatic Champion’s League qualification for Dortmund, however, Stoeger’s side collapsed under the pressure.
Mainz silenced the Signal Iduna Park when Bote Baku and Yoshinori Muto both scored in quick succession to give them an early lead.
Maximillian Philip halved the deficit two minutes later, however, the Yellows could not find that all important equaliser and left them needing a victory against Julian Nagelsmann’s dangerous Hoffenheim side to finish in third place.
Hoffenheim 3-1 Dortmund
It was win or bust for Peter Stoeger and his side, but it was Julian Nagelsmann’s who was the victor of this end of season encounter.
Andrej Kramaric gave Hoffenheim a first-half lead, while second-half goals from Adam Szalai and Pavel Kaderabek cancelled out Marco Reus’ equaliser just after halftime.
BVB did not register a single victory in their last three matches and their fourth-place finish means that they will have to go through a qualifying round if they hope to make it into Europe’s most prestigious cup tournament.
