Dortmund hosted Borussia Mönchengladbach at Signal Iduna Park this weekend, and it’s safe to say they were not kind to the visitors.
Dortmund came into the element of their own and thrashed Mönchengladbach by 6-0. A statement win, that still keeps their Bundesliga title hopes alive.
They find themselves 6 points behind the league leaders Bayern Munich.
Dortmund scored 2 goals in the first half, curtsey of captain Marco Reus and Donyell Malen.
While, in the second half, Marius Wolf, Youssoufa Moukoko, and Marco Reus again found themselves on the scoresheet making the scoreline read 5-0.
A stoppage-time penalty from Emre Can made the horrible to disastrous as Dortmund finished the game-winning 6-0.
Even the most fervent Dortmund fans would have carried a sense of pessimism into this game, having fallen 4-2 to Rangers in the Europe League RO16 tie just a few days before.
But that is Dortmund, they are so unpredictable playing football matches, they surprise you with results one way or the other.
The Dortmund supporters would just hope that they can carry this momentum with them when they meet the Scottish in the second leg.
With the away goal rule discarded, Dortmund would be looking to make a thrilling comeback.
What a game that promises to be!
But that is for later, so let’s rewind a little bit here, and talk about a few pointers that stood out from the demolition of Mönchengladbach by the hands of BVB.
Marco Reus clutch
Marco Reus who more often than not finds himself struggling with injuries came in with a clutch against his former club.
Marco Reus is a phenomenal footballer and he displayed his brilliance as he scored twice and assisted three in the game.
That is a staggering 5 goal contribution out of Dortmund’s 6! – he was everywhere.
Marco demonstrated that when it comes to his vision, football IQ, and technical skill, there are few in the world who can match. Every single touch was flawless. Every single pass was more precise and sharper than the one before it.
A man of the match performance, a true captain’s performance.
With the 2 goals that he scored; it now means Reus has scored 11 goals in his last 15 matches against his former club Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Goalkeeping brilliance
At the end of the first half, both teams had the same number of shots: six total, four on goal each. The quality of opportunities generated by the two clubs was also quite equal, with both squads getting off many powerful close-range attempts.
The scoreline, on the other hand, favored BVB by a score of 2-0. This was owing to Gregor Kobel outdueling his counterpart in goal, making a number of key saves, including a 1-v-1 against Florian Neuhaus.
The match could have been way closer if it wasn’t for Kobel’s crucial first-half saves.
6-0 yes, but defense
As mentioned in the previous point that Mönchengladbach managed to create quality chances in the first half, this is where the Dortmund defense could have done much better.
There were injuries in that defense line up and Dortmund was using a new system, but still, the defense needs to tighten up.
It’s not a gigantic problem as Dortmund did keep a clean sheet and scored 6 on the other hand.
You can point out ever so few mistakes when the side wins 6-0, but heading into the Europa League even the slightest of errors and weakness can cost Dortmund the game.
Dortmund who will be heading into the Rangers game needs to smoothen out all their liabilities if they aspire to turn around the R016 tie!
