Borussia Dortmund pushed wide open the door to progression from the group phase of the Champions League on Wednesday night by deservedly winning their away game against Galatasaray 4-0 (3-0) to secure a maximum nine points from their first three games. They now lead the Group D table ahead of Arsenal on six points.

Borussia Dortmund had never before gone four consecutive Champions League games without conceding a goal but it was not just the defence that was imposing in front of a 34,000 crowd in a far from sold-out Turk Telecom Arena, but also the attack. Aubameyang gave BVB a dream start with two goals on 6 and 18 minutes; then Marco Reus fired home from some thirty yards just before the half-time whistle. Adrian Ramos came on as substitute to score the fourth and final goal seven minutes from time.

Felix Ulrich reports from Istanbul

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Sebastian Kehl comes off second best in an aerial duel.

The Scenario:

Languishing in fourteenth in the Bundesliga, BVB continued their impressive Champions League campaign as they sought to claim their third win on the spin having already accounted for Arsenal (2-0) and Anderlecht (3-0). Another win would open the door wide to the next round whilst the hosts were desperate for a win having just one point going into the game. BVB had yet to concede a goal on the banks of the Bosporus having drawn 0-0 and won 1-0 against Galatasaray in 99-2000 and 97/98 respectively and also having won 1-0 against Besiktas in 89/90.

Personnel Matters:

Jürgen Klopp made three changes from the side that started the 2-1 defeat in Cologne: Grosskreutz, having racked up a lot of miles recently and seeming a little jaded, made way for Subotic who joined Hummels in central defence to allow Sokratis to play at left back, a position he had last played when still with Werder in April 2013. Bender, as expected, replaced Gündogan while Aubameyang, suited to a counter-attacking game, replaced Immobile up front. The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury: Durm, Schmelzer, Kuba, Kirch and Sahin.

Galatasaray’s coach Cesare Prandelli also made three changes to the team that had beaten Fenerbahce in the derby 2-1 at the weekend with Hamit Altintop, Goran Pandev and Alex Telles replacing Veysel Sari, Blerim Dzemaili and Olcan.

Tactics: BVB opted for their trusted 4-2-3-1 while the home side went with a diamond 4-1-3-2 formation using Pandev and Yilmaz as the strikers, Sneijder in behind. It was interesting to note that when the home side had possession either Reus or Mkhitaryan dropped back to help Bender and Kehl in the holding positions. The plan was to allow the home side to come onto them and strike on the counter attack whilst leaving no room at the back.

The Game and Analysis:

Football can be so simple and beautiful at the same time. Here in Istanbul we had our old BVB back, a side that didn’t make crass errors or lose concentration as had been the case in recent Bundesliga games. The central defensive pairing of Hummels and Subotic were magnificent as were the two full backs who kept it very tight on the flanks.

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Aubameyang scored his first brace in the Champions League.

And from a base of strong defence, BVB were able to put on a counter-attacking masterclass because despite only having 46% of the possession, BVB seemed the more comfortable team.

Aubameyang gave BVB the dream start when, on six minutes he calmly slotted home a cross from Reus to make it 1-0 with the first shot of the game. And it was not long before Klopp’s decision to start with the flying striker was further vindicated when he he found himself unmarked to make it 2-0 converting a cross from Piszczek down the right. It was the man from Gabon’s third Champions League goal of the campaign and the second time he had scored two in a competitive match.

Indeed, “Auba” almost had a third on 31 minutes when he saw his shot cannon off the post following fine work by Mkhitaryan down the left. Kagawa, too, had a chance to add a third but saw Muslera do well to thwart his left foot drive on 24 minutes.

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Shinji Kagawa set up the third goal.

Galatasaray? The 19-time Turkish champions did finally get into the game more around the 30 minute mark when Burak was denied close in by a fine Subotic challenge but they somehow never really got a handle in the game and were always wary of the threat posed by BVB going forward. This meant that BVB were able to attack again and shortly before half-time Reus, collecting the ball in midfield, was able to advance unchallenged before unleashing a fierce drive into the top corner from some thirty yards out to make the half-time score 3-0. It was the icing on the cake of a first half performance to delight the 3,000 travelling BVB fans.

 

Following the break Galatasaray came into it a bit more but seemed to fear the BVB attack scoring a decisive fourth goal. And so the second half was a pretty tame affair prompting many home fans to leave the stadium long before the end. Despite taking their foot off the pedal, BVB were able to control the game.

Reus and Kagawa had chances to get a fourth on 59 and 66 minutes respectively but the fourth did eventually come along seven minutes from time when Ramos, on as a substitute, combined well with another newcomer, Gündogan before firing in a shot from just inside the box to make the final score 4-0.

The only bit of bad news was Sven Bender having to be taken to hospital with an arm injury sustained in a challenge with Alex Telles on 55 minutes.

Teams & Goals

UEFA Champions League, Matchday 3
GALATASARAY – BORUSSIA DORTMUND 0-4 (0-3)

Galatasaray: Muslera – Tarik Cemdal, Chedjou, Semih Kaya, Alex Telles – Hamit Altintop, Felipe Melo, Selcuk Inan – Sneijder – Pandev, Burak Yilmaz
Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller – Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Sokratis – Mkhitaryan, Bender, Kehl – Kagawa, Reus – Aubameyang
Substitutions: 61. Dzemaili for Altintop, 62. Öztekin for Alex Telles, 78. Colak for Pandev - 55. Ginter for Bender, 69. Gündogan for Hummels, 82. Ramos for Kagawa
Goals: 0-1 Aubameyang (6., Reus), 0-2 Aubameyang (18., Piszczek), 0-3 Reus (41., Kagawa), 0-4 Ramos (83., Gündogan)
Corners: 7-5 (HT 3-4), Chances: 3-11 (2-7)
Referee: Lahoz (ESP), Yellow cards: Sneijder, Kaya
Attendance: approx. 34,000, Weather: clear, 18 degrees

Prospects:

BVB host Hannover 96 on Saturday(kick-off 1530CET) in a Bundesliga fixture which is a complete sell out. The away Cup tie in St.Pauli on the following Tuesday is also a sell out (kick off for that one is 2030 CET) while the return of tonight’s game takes place on November 4 and is, yes, you’ve guessed it, a sell out!