Coach Stoger to leave Borussia Dortmund after sealing Champions League spot

Borussia Dortmund coach Peter Stoger announced he would leave the club after helping them scrape Champions League qualification in the final match of the season.

Dortmund were beaten 3-1 at Hoffenheim on Saturday but clung on to fourth spot in the Bundesliga thanks to a superior goal difference over fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

Austrian Stoger, who replaced the sacked Peter Bosz as head coach in December with the team eighth in the table, revealed at a post-match press conference that the game would be his final one in charge.

“Today was my final competitive game for Dortmund,” he was quoted on bundesliga.com. “We already decided that together some time ago.

“We decided that a new stimulus is necessary and might do the club good. The easiest way to get that is with a new coach.

“I’m happy that we achieved our most important goal.

“I hope that my successor can bring a bit more stability and serenity to the team.”

A forgettable season for Dortmund ended on a bittersweet note as they secured their place in the Champions League for the sixth season out of seven despite a disappointing display.

Marco Reus’ second-half equaliser briefly brought them level at Rhein-Neckar-Arena by cancelling out Andrej Kramaric’s opener, before Hoffenheim wrapped up a deserved success thanks to Adam Szalai and Pavel Kaderabek.

The win saw Hoffenheim leapfrog Dortmund into third, securing their place in Europe’s top club competition for next season.