BERLIN (AP) — Borussia Dortmund sealed Champions League qualification on Sunday with an emphatic 4-0 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga.
Match Summary
Maximilian Beier, Serhou Guirassy and Ramy Bensebaini scored within the first half hour to put the match beyond doubt. Substitute Fabio Silva added the fourth goal late in the game.
Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel denied Cyriaque Irié a consolation goal for the visitors.
With three rounds remaining, Dortmund is assured of finishing among the top four to qualify for Europe's premier club competition.
Dortmund Coach Comments
Dortmund coach Niko Kovač gave Samuele Inacio his first start, and the 18-year-old Italian forward earned ovations when he came off in the 74th minute.
United States Under-17 forward Mathis Albert entered the game for the final minutes to make his Dortmund debut. The 16-year-old from Greenville, South Carolina, joined Dortmund's academy in 2025 from LA Galaxy's academy and was part of the U.S. team at last year's Under-17 World Cup.
Freiburg Outlook
Freiburg coach Julian Schuster had made several changes to the team that suffered a bitter defeat against Stuttgart in the German Cup semifinals on Thursday.
Freiburg now faces Sporting Braga away for the first leg of their Europa League semifinal match.
Another youngster, 18-year-old midfielder Rouven Tarnutzer, made his Freiburg debut late in the game.
Champions League Race Update
Stuttgart's hopes of Champions League qualification were tempered in a 1-1 draw with Werder Bremen. Ermedin Demirović canceled Jens Stage's early goal for the visitors, keeping Stuttgart in fourth place on goal difference from Hoffenheim.
Stuttgart and Hoffenheim both sit on 57 points, two points ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, which still harbors its own hopes of Champions League qualification. The two clubs face each other for a high-stakes clash next weekend.
Bremen's point from the draw moved it six points above St. Pauli in the relegation zone.
German Cup Final Set
Bayern Munich already secured the Bundesliga title last weekend and will face Stuttgart in the German Cup final on May 23.