End of the road

Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund's hopes of progress in the Europa League were dashed on Wednesday night when a vital breakthrough goal proved elusive.

In their soccer clash with Sevilla, Dortmund needed a win if they were to seize second place in Group J from the Spaniards.

Japanese striker Shinji Kagawa gave Dortmund an early lead after four minutes after he picked up the ball from a loose clearance by Sevilla defender Julian Escude. Kagawa then directed the ball precisely past goalkeeper Andres Palop, giving his side a dream start.

Things went rapidly downhill after 31 minutes and consistent pressure from Sevilla culminated in a goal for Ndri Romaric following an error in defense from Dortmund's Lukasz Piszcek.

Two minutes later, Sevilla went ahead with a glancing header by Frederic Kanoute - at the end of a cross from midfielder Diego Perotti.

Dortmund's hopes were raised after half time when a corner from Nuri Sahin found Neven Subotic, who headed past Palop to bring the scores level.

Efforts fail to pay off

Despite efforts from Dortmund to pull ahead, chances were few and far-between and Sevilla held onto the draw. The result meant Sevilla progress to the final 32 of the competition with 10 points - two behind leaders Paris St. Germain.

Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp rushed onto the field at the end of the game to prevent his players from challenging officials with allegations that Sevilla players had been time-wasting.

"We brought the result on ourselves," said Klopp. "We simply failed to get the third goal but it was possible."

In tomorrow's Europa League football, Stuttgart host Danish side Odense BK while Bayer Leverkusen entertain Atletico Madrid. Both German teams sit at the top of their respective groups.

Author: Richard Connor (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Catherine Bolsover