Cologne stun hosts Dortmund 2-1 with Skhiri double
DORTMUND, Germany (Reuters) - Borussia Dortmund suffered a shock 2-1 loss to visitors Cologne on Saturday to drop four points off the pace in the Bundesliga title race.
It was the first time in 29 years that Cologne, who have now snapped their club-record 18-game winless run in the league, have earned three points in Dortmund, with their last win being in 1991.
The visitors stunned Dortmund, who travel to Lazio in the Champions League next week, with an early goal when Ellyes Skhiri tapped in at the far post in the ninth minute.
Dortmund, who had fired five goals past Hertha Berlin last week and won 3-0 against Club Brugge in the Champions League, were lacking any real punch and instead it was hard-working Cologne who scored again thanks to Tunisia international Skhiri with an identical goal from yet another corner on the hour.
Thorgan Hazard cut the deficit with a low shot in the 74th minute but despite desperate late attacks and a stoppage-time golden chance missed by Erling Haaland, who somehow could not push a cutback over the line from a metre out, they could not get an equaliser.
Dortmund, who have now lost three times in their nine league games, drop to third on 18 points, four off leaders Bayern Munich and two behind RB Leipzig. Cologne's first win of the season lifted them off the bottom and into 15th on six.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)
