Manuel Veth - Freiburg v Borussia Dortmund was a demonstration of strength by the Black and Yellows. Dortmund smashed Freiburg and are back within on
Manuel Veth –
Freiburg v Borussia Dortmund was a demonstration of strength by the Black and Yellows. Dortmund smashed Freiburg and are back within one point of Bayern at the top of the table.
- Dortmund respond well to the pressure
- Dismantle excellent Freiburg side
- Marco Reus man of the match
Freiburg v Borussia Dortmund
Goals: 0-1 (Jadon Sancho, 14′), 2-0 (Marco Reus, 54’), 3-0 (Mario Götze, 78′), 4-0 (Paco Alcacer, 86′)
Freiburg were anything but passive to start the game. Starting in a 4-2-2-2 formation, the Breisgau Brazilians attempted to push Dortmund into their half.
Nonetheless, it was Dortmund that opened the scoring. A combination on the left between Marco Reus, Raphael Guerreiro and Mario Götze gave Reus the room to pass the ball across the goal mouth where Jadon Sancho could simply tap the ball across the line.
Experience German football live! Book your European football travel now by visiting our travel partners Nickes.com!
Following the goal, Dortmund started to struggle a bit, however. Freiburg continued their high press, and in the 25′ minute, Luca Waldschmidt tested Roman Bürki with a shot from 24 yards out that forced a wonderful diving save from the BVB keeper.
At this stage of the game, Freiburg were the better side, and in the 32′ minute, only a last-minute intervention by Marius Wolf stopped Vincenzo Grifo from scoring a wonderful breakaway goal. Overall it was a positive performance by Freiburg in the first half even if Dortmund carried the advantage into the second half.
Dortmund now faced a bit of an uphill battle in the second half, both literally and figuratively. The Schwarzwald Stadion is built on a slope and Dortmund were now playing up the hill. Furthermore, Freiburg kept working hard trying to press the Black and Yellows for the equaliser.
The Black and Yellows, however, have limitless potential and just need half a chance to score, which is exactly what they did in the 54′ minute. Guerreiro found a gap in Freiburg’s defence and stuck the ball through to Reus, who had broken away in the 18-yard box and then beat goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow with a calm strike.
That goal meant Dortmund were finally in control of the match. In the 79′ minute, Mario Götze added Dortmund’s third. Sancho received the ball in his own half played an overlapping pass to Reus inside the box, Reus then played the ball across the goalmouth where Götze simply had to tap it home.
The game was pretty much over. But in the 85′ minute, Dortmund were handed a penalty after a handball by Freiburg defender Pascal Stenzel. Paco Alcacer stepped up in the 86′ and hammered it home to make it 4-0.
Freiburg v Borussia Dortmund – Man of the Match
Marco Reus was once again the main man for Dortmund. The attacking midfielder assisted Jadon Sancho’s opener and then scored the second goal of the game before playing an assist to Mario Götze to make it 3-0. Overall, Reus showed why he will be the key player down the stretch as Dortmund are attempting to break Bayern’s dominance over the league.
Freiburg v Borussia Dortmund – Marco Reus of Dortmund celebrates after he scores the 2nd goal during the Bundesliga match between Sport-Club Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund at Schwarzwald-Stadion on April 21, 2019 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Freiburg v Borussia Dortmund – Talking Point
How impressive was this Dortmund performance? Dortmund have had 59% possession and completed 89% of their 684 passes. All of that against a Freiburg side that beat Leipzig at home 3-0 and drew 1-1 against Bayern. This Dortmund side has a ton of potential and a bright future no matter the outcome the title race this season.
Freiburg v Borussia Dortmund – Match Stats
- Mario Götze had a hand in 12 Dortmund goals this Bundesliga season (five goals, seven assists), his highest tally since the 2013-14 season (10 goals, 8 assists).
- Dortmund have not lost any of their last 52 Bundesliga games when leading at half-time (W47 D5), the longest current run in the competition.
- Borussia Dortmund have not lost the last 16 games against Freiburg, which equals their record against Nürnberg.
Freiburg v Borussia Dortmund – Line-ups
SC Freiburg:
Formation: 4-2-2-2
Schwolow – Günter, Heintz, Schlotterbeck, Stenzel – Höfler, Haberer – Grifo, Frantz (Gondorf, 70′) – Waldschmidt, Niederlechner (Daferner, 66′)
Coach: Christian Streich
Borussia Dortmund:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Bürki – Diallo, Akanji, Weigl, Wolf (Toprak, 56′) – Delaney, Witsel – Guerreiro (Pulisic, 72′), Reus, Sancho – Götze (Alcacer, 80′)
Coach: Lucien Favre
Manuel Veth is the owner and Editor in Chief of the Futbolgrad Network. He also works as a freelance journalist and among others contributes to Forbes.com and Pro Soccer USA. He holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from King’s College London, and his thesis is titled: “Selling the People’s Game: Football’s transition from Communism to Capitalism in the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” which is available HERE. Originally from Munich, Manuel has lived in Amsterdam, Kyiv, Moscow, Tbilisi, London, and currently is located in Victoria BC, Canada. Follow Manuel on Twitter @ManuelVeth.
COMMENTS