Lucien Favre has been fired as the head coach of Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund after the club’s humiliating 5-1 defeat to Stuttgart on Saturday.

The Swiss coach was let go after a string of poor form despite qualifying as group leaders for the Round of 16 in the Champions League.

Since taking the reins at Dortmund two years ago, Favre has twice led the club to second place in the Bundesliga, but has often been criticized for not managing to launch a serious title challenge.

“It was a tough decision for us to take,” admitted Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc of Favre’s dismissal. “At the same time, we felt we were in danger of not meeting our goals for the season after this difficult phase. That’s why we had to act.”

“We’re all extremely grateful for Lucien Favre’s fine work over the last two-and-a-half years, including two runners-up finishes,” added BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke. “He’s an impeccable professional and coach.”

The club suffered three successive defeats at home in the Bundesliga for the first time since the 2013/14 season, when Jürgen Klopp was in charge after loss to Stuttgart