Ari breaks forward on a quick counter-attack through the middle of the pitch but ends up losing possession due to good defending by Hummels. He then turns and cynically pushes the aforementioned defender to the ground, resulting in him receiving a late yellow card.
90' +3
Dortmund quickly move the ball down the right flank, where it finds Castro by the corner flag, but the midfielder's swerving cross is poor and fails to find a yellow shirt before curling over the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick, with which Dikan understandably takes his time.
90' +1
Chance for Leitner! The youngster does really well to weave through a sea of green shirts before unleashing a low strike from the edge of the penalty area, but it ends up rolling just past the fingertips of Dikan before missing the far post by the narrowest of margins.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
Brave goalkeeping by Dikan! Gundogan sends a lovely pass over the top of the Krasnodar defence and into the path of Januzaj, but the Ukrainian goalkeeper does well to charge out and meet the ball with his fist before it can find the Belgian youngster.
88'
Gundogan picks up the ball in space midway inside the Krasnodar half of the pitch and immediately sends a lofted pass right onto the foot of Ginter. The right-back then tries to find Ramos with a volleyed cross but it's mishit and flies out of play for a goal kick.
87'
Chance for Ari! After a lengthy period of Dortmund possession finally comes to an end, Krasnodar break away on another dangerous counter-attack. They work the ball down the left wing before Smolov sends a cross right onto the head of the aforementioned striker, but Weidenfeller does well to keep it out.
86'
M. Leitner enters the game and replaces J. Weigl.
And now Dortmund have made their final alteration, and it's an attacking one, with Weigl being sacrificed for Leitner.
85'
D. Torbinskiy enters the game and replaces O. Akhmedov.
Krasnodar have decided to make their final substitution of the game, with Torbinski coming on to replace Akhmedov.
84'
R. Laborde enters the game and replaces P. Mamaev.
Krasnodar have made a change, with the goalscorer Mamaev maing way for Laborde.
Minute
Description
83'
It's all Dortmund at the moment as they continue to swarm inside the Krasnodar half of the pitch. They are desperately trying to find a way past the sea of green shirts in front of them but are finding it increasingly difficult to do so.
81'
Gundogan sends a lovely pass over to Ginter, who immediately tees up the midfielder with a volleyed cross. It's well hit and meets him in the heart of the penalty area but he's unable to control the ball due to the bounce and, as a result, can't test Dikan with a shot.
80'
M. Ginter enters the game and replaces Ł. Piszczek.
Dortmund have made their second alteration, with Ginter, who scored in the reverse fixture, coming on to replace Piszczek for the final 10 minutes.
79'
Krasnodar are finally able to get back on the ball once again after struggling to regain possession. They work it around well before Ari unleashes a low shot from 25 yards out, but it's well saved by Weidenfeller, who quickly dives to his left.
78'
A lofted pass forward from Castro sails over the top of the Krasnodar defence and into the feet of Ramos, but the striker's first touch is heavy and ends up sending the ball out of play before he goes down inside the box.
76'
Mkhitaryan hits the post! Schmelzer bursts down the left flank before cutting a wonderful low pass straight into the feet of the Armenian, who unleashes a lovely shot that beats Dikan before ricocheting off the woodwork.
75'
Y. Gazinskiy enters the game and replaces M. Pereyra.
Pereyra, who has had a solid game, makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Gazinskiy.
74'
Mkhitaryan chips a deft cross into the penalty area from the resulting set-piece, but it's completely underhit and can only find the head of Ari.
73'
Excellent block by Sigurdsson! Januzaj penetrates the hosts' penalty area before cutting the ball back to Gundogan. The midfielder unleashes a thumping strike from close range but the aforementioned defender does extremely well to throw his body in front of the shot to stop it from testing Dikan.
72'
Gundogan is caught in the face by a trailing arm from Kabore, resulting in a free kick for Dortmund midway inside the Krasnodar half of the pitch. Castro sends the set-piece over to the far post, but it fails to find a yellow shirt and is dealt with well by the hosts.
70'
A Dortmund attack breaks down after Gundogan is dispossessed on the edge of the Krasnodar box, allowing the hosts to push forward on a quick counter-attack. A lofted pass forward finds Ari, who spots Weidenfeller off his line and tries to beat the goalkeeper with an audacious 30-yard strike. It's completely overhit, however, and sails over the top of the crossbar.
68'
A. Januzaj enters the game and replaces J. Hofmann.
Dortmund have decided to make their first substitution of the game, with Januzaj coming on to replace Hofmann.
67'
Great chance for Granqvist! Krasnodar earn themselves a corner on the right wing, which is curled into the middle of the penalty area. It bounces around the box before falling at the feet of the aforementioned centre-back, but he's unable to make contact with the ball before Weidenfeller finally deals with the danger.
65'
Almost a costly mistake by Weigl! The midfielder sends a poor pass straight into the feet of Akhmedov, who breaks forward before being dispossessed by Hummels not far away from the edge of the penalty area. Kabore picks up the ball, however, and sends a great pass straight into the feet of Smolov, but his first touch is poor and it ends up going out of play.
63'
The first corner almost finds Weigl but is cut out well by Kabore, resulting in a second, but the follow-up is easily dealt with by the hosts, who have plenty of bodies back to deal with the danger.
62'
It's end to end stuff at the moment! Once again, Dortmund fly forward on a great counter-attack, this time through Gundogan, who charges towards the edge of the Krasnodar box before finding Schmelzer. The left-back tries to find Ramos but his low cross is deflected out for another corner.
60'
Fantastic chance for Ramos! The resulting set-piece is taken short and sent to Hofmann, who then swings a cross right onto the head of the Colombian striker. He meets it well and forces Dikan into making a great save before fizzing a strike across the face of goal and into the feet of Akhmedov.
59'
A Krasnodar counter-attack breaks down and quickly turns into one for Dortmund, who flying forward through Ramos. The striker then cuts inside from the right wing before unleashing a cross-cum-shot that bounces off Granqvist and out for a corner.
58'
Krasnodar are looking far more dangerous. With Dortmund committing so many bodies forward, there is plenty of space left behind for the hosts to take advantage of. However, no matter how hard they try, they just can't seem to test Weidenfeller.
57'
A. Jędrzejczyk gets yellow.
Great chance for Ari to make it 2-0! The ball bounces around the Dortmund penalty area, with nobody able to make decent contact with it. It eventually finds the aforementioned striker on the edge of the box, and he immediately unleashes a low strike that beats Weidenfeller before flying just wide of the far post.
Gundogan charges forward on an impressive run through the centre of the pitch, but it's brought to a painful end by Jedrzejczyk, who flies into the Dortmund midfielder and brings him crashing to the ground, earning the right-back a yellow card.
56'
Krasnodar break away on a quick counter-attack down the left wing through Smolov. He charges forward before skipping past Hummels on the edge of the penalty area, but his final touch is poor and sends the ball bouncing out of play for a goal kick.
54'
What a chance for Piszczek to equalise! Mkhitaryan's cross from the resulting free kick is wonderful and finds a head of the aforementioned full-back, but his headed effort ends up flying just past the far post after beating Dikan.
53'
C. Kaboré gets yellow.
Weigl easily flies past Kabore before being cynically tripped over by the outstretched foot of the Burkinabe defensive midfielder, who receives a yellow card as a result.
52'
Dortmund work the ball around quickly, with, once again, Mkhitaryan and Gundogan playing an important in the move. Castro eventually tees up Schmelzer, who then swings a cross towards Ramos, but it flies just past the striker before being dealt with by Pereyra.
50'
Mamaev is clumsily brought down by Mkhitaryan, resulting in a free kick for Krasnodar in a dangerous position on the right flank. Pereyra sends a lovely, curled cross right into the middle of the box, but Bender is there to meet it with his head.
48'
What a strike by Schmelzer! The left-back receives the ball on the edge of the Krasnodar penalty area and brings it down well with his chest before unleashing a thumping volley. It beats Dikan before flying agonisingly wide of the near post.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45' +1
Excellent opportunity for Bender to equalise! The resulting corner once again finds the defender in the heart of the penalty area, where he is completely unmarked, but he ends up sending his glancing header just a yard or so wide of the far post. He really should have done better with that chance!
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.
44'
What a save by Dikan! Piszczek picks up the ball on the right flank and immediately curls a brilliant bouncing cross towards the near post. It finds Ramos, who stoops down low to meet the ball with his head but ends up seeing his bullet effort tipped round the post by the Krasnodar goalkeeper.
43'
And now Bender goes close! A wonderful Mkhitaryan corner finds the head of the aforementioned defender, who beats his marker well before sending a bullet header not too far wide of the near post.
42'
Great chance for Ramos! A lovely pass from Gundogan finds the striker in space on the right-hand side of the penalty area, but his first touch is far too heavy and allows Granqvist to dispossess him with a great sliding challenge.
41'
Krasnodar embark on a quick counter-attack down the right flank, with Pereyra playing a particularly important role in the move. He then tees up Jedrzejczyk, who cuts onto his less favoured left foot before unleashing a low shot that almost meets the outstretched limbs of Ari in front of goal.
40'
Dortmund quickly win back possession and put Krasnodar under pressure once again, but once again a low cross, this time from Hofmann, flies past a plethora of Dortmund players before being cleared by Granqvist.
39'
Kabore is caught sleeping on the ball just outside of the penalty area and is dispossessed by Ramos in a very dangerous position. The Dortmund striker then whips a low cross into the box, but it fails to find a yellow shirt and is eventually thumped away by Granqvist.
37'
Gundogan picks up the ball near the halfway line and easily skips past Kabore before embarking on a great run forward. He has acres of space in front of him and uses it well before teeing up Ramos, but the striker brings a promising attacking move to a disappointing end with a poor strike that flies well over the top of the crossbar.
35'
Weigl commits a clumsy foul on the left wing, resulting in a free kick for Krasnodar on the left flank. Mamaev swings a dangerous cross into the middle of the box, where it finds the fist of Weidenfeller, but the referee immediately blows his whistle after spotting a foul on Bender.
33'
Once again, Krasnodar effectively utilise a counter-attack to put Dortmund under further pressure. Akhmedov flies forward on a quick run before teeing up Smolov, who skips past Piszczek and curls a cross over to Pereyra. The Uruguayan is unable to control the ball well enough, however, and ends up sending a tame header bouncing into the hands of Weidenfeller.
32'
Dortmund quickly regain possession and push forward once again, this time through Hummels, who charges into the Krasnodar half of the pitch before chipping a pass over the top of the hosts' defence and towards Mkhitaryan. It's overhit, however, and bounces out for a goal kick.
31'
A poor pass from Kabore can only find a yellow shirt, and Dortmund immediately take the opportunity to fly forward on a quick counter-attack. They work the ball out wide to Schmelzer, who then whips a cross into the box, but it's completely mishit and misses everybody before bouncing out to the opposite flank.
29'
Akhmedov picks up the bal in space in the middle of the pitch and quickly finds Smolov on the left flank. The winger cuts inside and decides to fire a shot towards the bottom left-hand corner of the goal, but it was wrong choice and, as a result, Weidenfeller can comfortably watch the effort roll wide of its intended target.
28'
A wonderfully-placed lofted pass forward from Bender flies right onto the foot of Ramos, who brings the ball down well and beats three Krasnodar players before chipping a cross-cum-shot towards the far post. It misses Castro but almost sneaks into top left-hand corner of the goal, but at the last moment it swerves the wrong side of the woodwork.
26'
A wave of yellow shirts press forward but are unable to beat the resolute Krasnodar defence. The ball then falls to Gundogan, who tries to test Dikan from 25 yards out, but his effort is underhit and bounces straight into the hands of the goalkeeper.
25'
Akhmedov wins the ball back in the middle of the pitch with a wonderful sliding tackle, and he immediately gets to his feet and sets up Smolov. The winger breaks forward quickly and cuts inside before going down under a challenge from Bender, but no contact was made and the referee waves play on.
23'
Once again, Krasnodar threaten Dortmund on the counter-attack. Ari breaks forward, this time down the left wing, before cutting inside and, with no one there to support him, unleashing a low shot, but it fails to find its way past Bender, who easily blocks the effort.
22'
A Dortmund attacking move breaks down, allowing Krasnodar to break away on an incredibly quick counter-attack. A lofted pass forward finds Ari, who then tries to muscle his way past Hummels, but the centre-back does well to dispossess the Brazilian before thumping the ball away from danger.
20'
After a lengthy period of time on the back foot, Krasnodar are finally able to push forward on an attack of their own. They quickly move the ball down the right flank before Smolov sends a curling cross into the heart of the Dortmund penalty area, but Piszczek is there to meet it.
18'
Gundogan fires a dangerous cross-cum-shot low across the ground and towards the near post, but Dikan does well to meet it before holding onto the ball comfortably.
17'
M. Pereyra gets yellow.
Pereyra and Mkhitaryan come together once again, but this time the Uruguayan's attempted tackle is poor and ends up sending the Armenian crashing to the ground, resulting in a free kick for Dortmund and a yellow card for the Krasnodar midfielder.
16'
Mkhitaryan picks up the ball on the edge of the Krasnodar box and immediately tries to spin round Pereyra, but the Uruguayan does well to stick out a foot to deny the attacking midfielder a way through.
15'
Chance for Castro! A series of quick passes from Dortmund ends with Mkhitaryan on the edge of the penalty area, and the Armenian immediately chips a deft ball right on the feet of the aforementioned midfielder, who unleashes a thumping volley that is deflected just wide of the near post.
13'
Dortmund are finding plenty of joy down the left flank, but their final product is lacking somewhat. Again, they work the ball out wide before Schmelzer tries to find Castro at the far post, but the full-back's attempted cross is sent too near to Dikan, who is easily able to cut out the danger as a result.
11'
Gundogan picks up a loose ball in the middle of the pitch and immediately charges forward before teeing up Mkhitaryan. The Armenian cuts inside from the left wing before teeing up the aforementioned midfielder, who immediately unleashes a thumping strike that flies not far over the top of the crossbar.
9'
What a terrible mistake by Granqvist! The Swedish defender sells his goalkeeper short after failing to deal with a loose pass forward, allowing Ramos to steal the ball on the edge of the penalty area. He quickly chips a shot past the outstretched arms of Dikan and towards the Krasnodar goal, but his strike ends up bouncing onto the crossbar and back to the aforementioned centre-back, who then thumps it away from danger.
8'
Chance for Dortmund! Castro picks up the ball in space just outside of the Krasnodar penalty area and immediately sends a thumping strike towards Dikan, who makes a great save. He can only push the ball into the path of Hofmann, however, but the youngster's shot is poor and clears the crossbar.
6'
Hofmann is set up on the right-hand side of the Krasnodar penalty area and looks set to unleash a shot, but his first touch is poor and results in him getting dispossessed before he can get a shot away.
4'
Dortmund work the ball around well from the restart before Piszczek sends a curling cross towards Castro at the far post, but it's slightly overhit and, as a result, ends up flying over the head of the midfielder and out of play for a goal kick.
2'
Penalty goal scored by P. Mamaev for Krasnodar!
GOAL! Mamaev steps up and fires a great penalty past Weidenfeller and into the back of the net. What a terrible start by Dortmund!
1'
M. Hummels gets yellow.
And we're off! Krasnodar get us underway, attacking from right to left.
PENALTY! Krasnodar immediately break away on an incredibly quick start as they look to put Dortmund under plenty of early pressure. A lofted pass is flung over the visitors' defence and into the path of Pereyra, who, as soon as he makes contact with the ball, is pushed to the ground by Hummels, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Europa League group stage game between Krasnodar and Borussia Dortmund at Kuban Stadium.
A 4-0 thrashing at home to Qabala three weeks ago confirmed Dortmund’s place in the knockout stage of the competition, and they can wrap up top spot today if they are able to see off a strong Krasnodar side. Thomas Tuchel’s team narrowly won the reverse fixture 2-1 thanks to an injury time winner scored by Joo-Ho Park, and since then they have won eight games in all competitions. They were handed a frustrating defeat away to Hamburg on Friday, however, one that leaves them eight points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich, but they remain unbeaten in the Europa League and will be looking to continue that good run here in Russia.
Krasnodar have also enjoyed a strong campaign both in Europe and domestically, although they too suffered a disappointing defeat on the weekend when they were beaten 3-2 by Spartak Moscow. As a result, they currently sit in sixth place in the Russian Premier League, and they have only tasted defeat three times since the start of September. They also boast an impressive record at Kuban Stadium, where they have only lost once in their last 22 games.
On paper, Dortmund head into today’s clash the favourites to come away with all three points, but it could prove to have a very different outcome. The German side are set to be without a host of key players, most notably Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marco Reus and Shinji Kagawa, all of whom Thomas Tuchel has decided to rest. As a result, Krasnodar will be confident about their chances of picking up a much-needed victory that will confirm their place in the last 32 of the competition.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this afternoon…
Oleg Kononov has decided to make three changes to the Krasnodar side that started the aforementioned defeat against Spartak Moscow, with Artur Jedrzejczyk, Ragnar Sigurdsson and Mauricio Pereyra coming into the starting line-up to replace Stefan Strandberg, Sergei Petrov and Dmitri Torbinski, respectively.
Meanwhile, Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel has made six alterations to the side that featured in the loss away to Hamburg, with Roman Burki, Matthias Ginter, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Shinji Kagawa, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus all making way for Roman Weidenfeller, Lukasz Piszczek, Sven Bender, Jonas Hofmann, Gonzalo Castro and Adrian Ramos.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: KRASNODAR 1-0 BORUSSIA DORTMUND
It's been an incredibly frustrating opening 45 minutes for Dortmund, who have dominated possession and been presented with plenty of chances in front of goal only to head into the half-time break a goal down. It all came from a poor challenge from Hummels, and since Krasnodar have sat deep and defended well against the visitors, who have looked increasingly dangerous as the game wears on.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: KRASNODAR 1-0 BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Krasnodar hold on for 88 and a half minutes to pick up the narrowest of victories, but it's an incredibly important one as it sends them into the knockout stage of the Europa League for the first time in their history. They deserve to be there, too, as they put in a great display defensively to keep at bay a Dortmund side that refused to stop pushing forward until the final whistle.
Commentary
More…