Freiburg, 15 December (H.S.):

Borussia Dortmund were left frustrated on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga, slipping up after playing the entire second half with ten men. Dortmund’s momentum collapsed following a red card to Jobe Bellingham early in the second half, allowing Freiburg to level through Lukas Höler’s stunning volley in the 75th minute.The result denied Dortmund a chance to move up to second place in the standings.

Dortmund dominated the opening half, creating multiple scoring opportunities. Carney Chukwuemeka’s strike rattled the post in the 21st minute, but the breakthrough arrived just ten minutes later. Ramy Bensebaini capitalized from close range to hand Dortmund a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute.

However, the momentum shifted drastically in the 53rd minute when Bellingham was sent off for bringing down Phillipp Treu as the last defender — a foul that stemmed from a poor back pass by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.Sensing their advantage, Freiburg pressed higher up the pitch.

Treu’s curling effort narrowly missed in the 64th minute, and Kobel had to produce a sharp fingertip save to deny Yuito Suzuki nine minutes later. But Freiburg’s persistence paid off when Höler, demonstrating brilliant control, volleyed the ball into the top corner to make it 1-1.Freiburg thought they had stolen victory late on, but their second goal was ruled out for offside.

The draw leaves Dortmund third on the table with 29 points, level with RB Leipzig, who suffered a 3-1 loss to Union Berlin on Friday. Bayern Munich remain at the top with 37 points and could extend their lead when they face Mainz 05 on Sunday.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar