Soccer-Dortmund suffer 2-1 home loss to VfB Stuttgart on coach Kovac's debut

Soccer Football - Bundesliga - Borussia Dortmund v VfB Stuttgart - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - February 8, 2025 VfB Stuttgart's Deniz Undav in action with Borussia Dortmund's Emre Can REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler

DORTMUND, Germany (Reuters) -Ten-man Borussia Dortmund slumped to a 2-1 defeat to visitors VfB Stuttgart on Saturday in a disappointing debut for new coach Niko Kovac that dropped his team further away from the Champions League qualification spots.

Kovac took over last week after Dortmund, who face Sporting in a Champions League playoff next week, sacked coach Nuri Sahin in late January following a four-game losing run across all competitions.