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Dortmund make up for lost time

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Given the lean times that they have endured, a 3-2 victory at home to reigning champions FC Bayern München has brought delight at BV Borussia Dortmund.

Joyless autumn
In the first half of the Bundesliga season, watching paint dry might have seemed a preferable option to attending a Dortmund home match. With some blaming coach Bert van Marwijk for the lacklustre performances, the Dutchman made way for Jürgen Röber in December. The new man promised that supporters would see a different Dortmund under his direction. As they beat Bayern on Friday night in the first game of the spring campaign, it seemed he was true to his word, with Alexander Frei scoring twice and setting up a third for Tinga.

'This is fantastic'
"This is fantastic - it doesn't get better than this," beamed Röber. "People here just want to see the team fight and work on the pitch. Then you have this wall of supporters behind you which give you wings. We showed from the first minute that we wanted to put the first half of the season behind us." Frei struck with headers either side of Bayern goals for Daniel Van Buyten and Roy Makaay, then laid on Tinga's winner with his head. "I am a positive person and I have always believed in the team and in the club", said the Swiss international. "With this result, we have made up for a lot of our bad performances in the first half of the season."

'Perfect start'
Eighth in the table, Dortmund may have left it too late to challenge for the title, but president Reinhard Raubell has at least seen a display to give hope in the long term. "They have played in a way that warms the heart," he said. "The team gave everything. This was a perfect start for Jürgen Röber." It was a different story for Bayern. Fans may have hoped the winter recess would allow them to shore up their defence or add creativity in midfield, but their frailties were exposed. "I'm disappointed," said coach Felix Magath. "We didn't go after them enough. We just stood around and watched them score goals."

Tuesday game
Third-placed Bayern are six points behind the leading pair of Werder Bremen and FC Schalke 04, with Tuesday's game against VfL Bochum 1848 looking increasingly like a vital one for the two-in-a-row double winners, who take on Real Madrid CF in the UEFA Champions League's last 16. "I still believe we will be German champions again, but one thing is for sure - we cannot afford to make any more mistakes," said Magath. "It's five minutes to midnight for Bayern. If we don't win against Bochum on Tuesday, the title is all but gone."

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