Bundesliga
2-0 - BVB on course for Europe after win over Frankfurt
Slowly but surely, Borussia Dortmund can start to harbour hopes of participating in next season's Europa League after taking all three points in a 2-0 (2-0) home win over Eintracht Frankfurt. The victory sees BVB move up one place to eighth in the table - though that could well change when Werder Bremen play on Sunday - with the gap to the Bundesliga's fifth and sixth-placed sides now just three points.
An Aubameyang penalty following a handball (24) and a Kagawa strike (32) in the first half put BVB on course for victory in front of 80,667 fans at a sold-out Signal Iduna Park on Saturday. The second period saw the Black and Yellows almost notch a third against a Frankfurt side that rarely threatened as Blaszczykowski (62), Durm (64), Reus (68) and Mkhitaryan (84) all went close, while Aubameyang was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty for a challenge by Zambrano in the box (60).
Felix Ulrich reports
The scenario:
Though in ninth and tenth respectively and only separated by goal difference, the form book showed that BVB were in fifth place in the second-half-of-the-season table while Frankfurt were down in 13th. The men from Hesse had only won one of their previous six league games and were without a win in eight on the road, while Borussia had only lost one of their last five home games (1-0 to Bayern on 4 April). The Black and Yellows have beaten Frankfurt 39 times and racked up 24 goalless draws - more than against any other team in their Bundesliga history.
Personnel matters:
Weidenfeller and Gündogan were both ruled out for BVB with short-term injuries. The goalkeeper injured his back in a training session on Friday and the midfielder was sidelined with an ulcerated pharynx which required treatment with antibiotics. However, the home side were boosted by Marco Reus (24 competitive appearances, 17 scorer points) returning to the squad after recovering from adductor problems. Australian Mitch Langerak came in for Weidenfeller to make his sixth Bundesliga appearance of the season and his 16th in total, while youth team shot-stopper Dominik Reimann, 17, was named among the substitutes. BVB were also without Subotic (intervertebral disc protrusion), Kehl (broken rib), Sahin (irritation of tendon insertion), Piszczek (partial tear of the syndesmosis ligament) and Kirch (torn knee tendon). Away coach Thomas Schaaf was shorn of the services of Aigner (muscular problems), Anderson, Oczipka (both suspended), Meier and Russ (both knee operations). Nelsen Valdez, who played for BVB between 2006 and 2010, started in attack for Frankfurt.
Tactics:
Frankfurt adopted a flexible approach, frequently switching from a 4-4-2 to a 4-1-4-1 (with Valdez dropping back slightly) and closing down the space in their own half without solely focusing on their defensive efforts. If a gap opened up in Borussia's 4-2-3-1 formation, a Frankfurt player sought to slip through.
The match & analysis:
BVB looked to dominate proceedings from the off but struggled to assert their authority on the match, with Frankfurt boasting slightly more possession (52%) and a narrowly superior tackle win rate (52%) before the break. It was the Black and Yellows, however, who scored the half's two goals.
Though Aubameyang initially headed over from four metres out after latching onto a Blaszczykowski cross (17), BVB took the lead seven minutes later when referee Weiner pointed to the penalty spot after Frankfurt's Kittel was adjudged to have handled a Schmelzer cross. Aubameyang took the resulting spot-kick, chipping the ball down the centre to score his 14th goal of the campaign as away custodian Trapp dived down to his left (24).
The opener injected BVB with greater self-belief, the home side soon scoring a spectacular second goal following a three-pass move. Langerak passed to Durm, who played Aubameyang down the right flank. The Gabon international then dribbled past Zambrano before squaring for Kagawa to double the lead (32).
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BVB were in full control of the match after the interval. The Black and Yellows largely outran their guests from Hesse, who offered little in attack, created no clear chances on goal and regularly demonstrated a lack of pace in defence. The home side continually threatened, with Aubameyang, Kagawa, Blaszczykowski and Mkhitaryan all coming close to extending the lead.
The home side could have been awarded a second penalty on the hour mark when Aubameyang was bundled over after being grabbed around the neck by Zambrano, but referee Weiner incorrectly failed to give the spot-kick. Blaszczykowski (62) and Durm (64) missed chances for a third shortly afterwards before Reus, who replaced Blaszczykowski in the 67th minute, struck the ball agonisingly wide of the left post (68) after latching onto a Mkhitaryan pass.
Jürgen Klopp made his second substitution eleven minutes from time, bringing on Kampl for match-winner Aubameyang (79). However, BVB were reluctant to push forward in the closing stages and instead tried to see out a 2-0 victory while Frankfurt seemed content to operate a damage limitation approach at the back. Mkhitaryan missed a great chance in the 84th minute.
Prospects:
BVB will now turn their attention to the DFB Cup on Tuesday, with an away trip to Bayern Munich (kick-off 20:30 CET) the last obstacle to an appearance in the Berlin showpiece. The Black and Yellows' next Bundesliga match is away to TSG Hoffenheim on 2 May.