The Bundesliga side, currently sitting ninth in the league, faced a humbling first half as they trailed 3-0 at halftime.

Goals from Giovanni Reyna and Jamie Gittens in the second half provided a glimmer of hope, but it was not enough to overturn the deficit.

The match saw a significant moment of controversy when Lewis Holtby, the former Blackburn and Tottenham player, was sent off, reducing Holstein Kiel to ten men. Despite the numerical advantage, Dortmund struggled to capitalise on the situation.

In stoppage time, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel ventured forward for a corner in a desperate bid to salvage a result.

However, Holstein Kiel's Jann-Fiete Arpp capitalised on the chaos, scoring an audacious goal from his own half to seal the victory.

Nuri Sahin, 36, who took over as Dortmund manager in the summer after Edin Terzic stepped down, criticised his team's inconsistency and failure to execute his tactical approach effectively.

"It is disgraceful how we performed here," a frustrated Sahin said following the match.

"That is not worthy of a club like Borussia Dortmund, from the first to the last minute. There is nothing more to say.

"As a player, you don't have much say in a performance like that - and not as a coach either. It's my responsibility. It's absolutely disgraceful."

The loss adds further scrutiny to Sahin's tenure, with rumours circulating that former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is acting as a 'shadow coach' for the club.

Ten Hag's presence at Dortmund's recent 3-2 loss to Bayer Leverkusen has fuelled speculation about his potential involvement.

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