Soccer Football - Champions League - GNK Dinamo Zagreb v Borussia Dortmund - Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia - November 27, 2024 Borussia Dortmund's Ramy Bensebaini scores their second goal REUTERS/Antonio Bronic
ZAGREB (Reuters) -Borussia Dortmund eased past hosts Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday to stay firmly on course for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification to the knockout stage.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens fired last year's finalists into a deserved lead in the 41st minute before the unmarked Ramy Bensebaini headed in their second goal in the 56th.
Forward Serhou Guirassy, back after a short illness, also got on the scoresheet in the 90th, slotting in after coming on as a substitute in a perfect dress rehearsal ahead of Saturday's big Bundesliga clash against leaders Bayern Munich.
The Ruhr valley club, who also hit the woodwork twice, have now won four of their five matches in the competition despite struggling on the road in the Bundesliga this season with no away wins.
They are now on 12 points in fourth place of the new-format Champions League with three games left. Dinamo are on seven points in 23rd.
The top eight teams automatically qualify for the knockout stage while the next 16 teams go into qualification playoffs.
"To win away from home is something that feels great," Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin told a press conference.
"It is important for the table, for our morale. It was not an easy game but we let the ball roll and after the 1-0 we became even more dominant. Now we need to keep working."
"I look forward to that game (against Bayern) but I want to enjoy the evening tonight with my boys and from tomorrow the focus will be on Bayern," Sahin said.
It was one-way traffic from the start with Dortmund, controlling possession and hitting the woodwork through Bensebaini's looping header and Donyell Malen's effort a little later.
The Dutch forward then saw Dinamo keeper Danijel Zagorac spectacularly stop his point-blank header in the 41st, seconds before the ball landed with Bynoe-Gittens who shook off two defenders and unleashed an unstoppable shot past the keeper.
Bensebaini then did it better himself, heading in a corner after being left with far too much space in the box.
Dinamo's Zagorac had to come to the rescue again in the 65th, palming a deflected Malen shot wide.
Zagorac could do nothing in the final minute of the game when Guirassy broke clear and pounced on a deflected pass to slot in through the keeper's legs.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)
