Passionate BVB claim 2-1 win with 10 men

Boris Rupert reporting from Mönchengladbach

Sabitzer fired BVB into a 2-0 lead thanks to two goals in the 22nd and 28th minutes, but Wöber reduced the deficit to 2-1 prior to the interval. Sabitzer slotted home another penalty awarded for a foul to make it 3-1 five minutes after the break. The penalty decision was only overturned retrospectively, meaning that the goal was also disallowed, and the match continued with 11 vs. 10 for the final 35 minutes after Adeyemi had been sent off for two bookable offences (55).

The scenario:  
Eleventh versus fifth. The 3-1 victory in Wolfsburg last weekend was Gladbach's second victory of the second half of the season; BVB had lost their most recent league game at home to Stuttgart (1-0) and had been ousted from fourth spot by Leipzig. Historically, the Black & Yellows had only won more games in Stuttgart (16) and in Bremen (15) than they had in Mönchengladbach (14).

Personnel matters: 
The whole squad was available except for Sancho (ill) and former Gladbach player Bensebaini. 65 hours on from the final whistle in the Champions League match in Madrid, there were six changes to the BVB line-up: Wolf, Süle, Özcan, Brandt, Bynoe-Gittens and Haller started in place of Ryerson, Hummels, Can, Nmecha, Füllkrug (all bench) and Sancho.

Tactics:   
Gladbach defended with a back five and three men in front. The home team shifted into a 3-4-3 formation in possession. Attackers Plea, who frequently dropped deep to pick up the ball, and Honorat switched positions and roles several times. BVB lined up in a 4-2-3-1 system with Öczan and Sabitzer in front of the back four and Brandt in a central attacking role.

The match & analysis:
Elvidi's challenge on Haller in the first minute did not have any consequences for the Gladbach player but it did for his Dortmund counterpart, who only briefly returned to the pitch following a lengthy treatment break and was replaced by Moukoko in the ninth minute.

Amid summery temperatures, Gladbach allowed BVB to have the ball but gave away nothing in the final third. Dortmund's attacking efforts lacked momentum and zip to begin with. But then Schlotterbeck played a brilliant left-footed pass into the penalty area to Sabitzer. With no team-mates around him, the Austrian went for goal himself from a centre-left position and fired the ball over the goalkeeper and into the far corner from a tight angle to make it 1-0 (22). Schlotterbeck got into an attacking position again six minutes later and was fouled on the left of the box – penalty! Sabitzer stepped up and converted coolly and confidently into the bottom right corner.

Gladbach initially appeared perturbed but came back into the match through a set-piece nine minutes before the break, Wöber heading a corner-kick into the far left corner to make it 2-1. BVB reacted maturely to the goal back, suppressing any emerging euphoria among the opposition players and fans by controlling the ball in the period that followed.

Maatsen, who was on a booking, was replaced by Ryerson after the break. And then something happened that had never happened before. First things first: a long ball was played to Adeyemi in the centre-forward position, goalie Omlin came charging out and made contact with the ball and his opponent. But in which order? Referee Badstübner awarded a penalty and after he had checked both the position of the goalkeeper on the line and the players around the box, Sabitzer stepped up and slotted home (bottom left corner, 48). But AFTERWARDS the VAR intervened, Badstübner reviewed his penalty decision on the monitor and rescinded the penalty kick (50). Adeyemi, who already had a booking to his name from the first half, was sent off for another yellow for holding Lainer five minutes later. BVB were now down to 10 men and switched to a 4-4-1 formation to defend against Gladbach's attacks.

The pressure increased by the minute, but still without the hosts creating any major opportunities. But there were hardly any forays forward for BVB, who quickly lost the balls they had won back. Hummels and Nmecha replaced Moukoko and Brandt in the 70th minute, and with three centre-backs now on the pitch, BVB switched to a 5-3-1 with Malen up top and subsequently enjoyed more possession and more relief from the pressure. Sabitzer's shot in the box was blocked in the 86th minute. Wolf followed up but failed to beat Omlin from a narrow angle.

The Black & Yellows threw themselves into the path of every ball in the eight and a half minutes of stoppage time. Kobel outstandingly preserved the slender lead (90+1).

Outlook: 
A brilliant home double-header awaits the fans and players next week: up first is the return leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday (21:00 CEST), followed by the match against German champions-elect Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday (17:30 CEST).

Teams & goals

Bundesliga Matchday 29
BORUSSIA MÖNCHENGLADBACH 1-2 (1-2) BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Bor. M‘gladbach: Omlin – Friedrich, Elvedi, Wöber (Siebatcheu, 75; Herrmann, 85) – Lainer (Cvancara, 64), Weigl (Reitz, 75), Itakura, Netz – Ngoumou (Hack, 64), Plea, Honorat
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Wolf, Süle, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen (Ryerson, 46) – Sabitzer, Özcan – Adeyemi, Brandt (Nmecha, 70), Bynoe-Gittens (Malen, 54) – Haller (Moukoko, 9; Hummels, 70)
Substitutes: Nicolas, Chiarodia, Scally, Neuhaus, Reitz – Meyer, Reus, Füllkrug, Can
Goals: 0-1 Sabitzer (Schlotterbeck, 22), 0-2 Sabitzer (pen. for foul on Schlotterbeck by Ngoumou, 28), 1-2 Wöber (Honorat, 36)
Corners: 2-3 (1-3 at half-time), chance ratio: 4-3 (3-2)
Referee: Badstübner (Nuremberg), red card: Adeyemi (repeated foul play, 55), yellow cards: Itakura – Maatsen, Nmecha
Attendance: 54,042 (sold-out), weather: sunny, 24 degrees