Michael Zorc, BVB’s sporting director, allowed himself the luxury of a fine cigar in the aftermath of the 4-0 win in Istanbul versus Galatasaray. "We can allow ourselves to be a little bit happy tonight,“ he said. Too true because following their gala display against "Gala“ they lead Group D of the UEFA Champions League on maximum points thus opening wide the path to the next round.

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Reus and Piszczek celebrate the third goal

Felix Ulrich reports from Istanbul

The win in Istanbul coupled with the ideal scenario of an Arsenal win or draw in Anderlecht meant that last night’s events have led to the fact that if BVB claim just a point in their home game against Galatasaray they are guaranteed to get into the next round. To see just how comfortable BVB are right now in terms of progress in the competition you just have to look at the situation confronting other teams.

Only Bayern and Real Madrid have matched BVB’s nine points from three games but not even these illustrious teams have been able to match BVB’s 9-0 goal difference. BVB have not conceded a goal in the competition since Roman Weidenfeller was beaten by Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2014.

Neven Subotic summed it up perfectly, "Today everything worked.“ Ilkay Gündogan, meanwhile maintained that there was no way that one could predict such a win ahead of the game; that it did and in front of some 36,000 fans was down to a number of factors. Mats Hummels pretty much hit the nail on the head when he reflected that „We were solid at the back at last and forced the opposition to make mistakes.“

Hans-Joachim Watzke agreed, "We were very switched on and won most of the tackles.“ The chief executive went on to praise the work done by the entire team under coach Jürgen Klopp ("today was a tactical masterstroke“) highlighting the resting of Kevin Großkreutz (so many miles on the clock this season) and the inclusion of three "centre-backs“ as giving the team a sense of stability again.

The fact that the team was more focussed on filling gaps at the back, with wide men dropping deep to help defend meant that real goal-scoring opportunities would be at a premium. Gündogan: “We wanted to be tight at the back and we were. They didn’t create one real chance all game.“

Aubameyang and Co. ran the channels so well

The attack worked so much better too. The Black n Yellows were always looking to attack notching up 15 attempts on goal. Just four days earlier in Cologne that was not the case. That said, in Istanbul the first two shots resulted in a two goal lead for the visitors. Mats Hummels couldn’t help himself, "That is the sort of percentage our opponents have been enjoying recently.“ Aubameyang’s twin strikes on 6 and 18 minutes were his eighth and ninth of the season so far and ensured that the game would follow its rightful course from a BVB perspective.

The finishing was remarkable last night, but so too was the build-up play involving the likes of Mkhitaryan, Kagawa and Reus, not to mention the unselfish running of Aubameyang. The man from Gabon’s pace was a constant worry for the home team and he could have had a hat-trick just past the half-hour mark when he struck the post.

Reus put the tin lid on it!

Neven Subotic summed the game up so well when he said that "We took our chances so well and at the right time, too. The game was effectively over after half an hour.“ On 41 minutes Marco Reus struck a fierce drive into the top corner to seal the game for BVB.

Sobotic went on, "It was so much harder for them to chase a three goal disadvantage than it was for us to defend one.“ But coach Jürgen Klopp was keen to stress that it had not been an easy win, "We had to defend against them with real commitment for the entire 90 minutes.“ The home resolve, though, was broken in the 83rd minute when Adrian Ramos and fellow substitute Gündogan combined delightfully to release the Columbian into the box to make it 4-0 at the death. It was the striker’s third goal as a substitute in the Champions League.

A memorable evening on the banks of the Bosporus

Michael Zorc commented that he thought, "we could have scored a few more goals.“ But in truth that was almost nit-picking. The only thing spoiling the mood as the team made their way home was concern over Sven Bender’s arm injury. Initial reports suggest that nothing is broken but a full prognosis will follow once he is safely back in Dortmund and rested.

So, all in all, a memorable evening in Istanbul. Hopefully it will boost confidence for forthcoming Bundesliga games. "The home game against Hannover on Saturday is mega-important. We need to replicate the display we put on in Istanbul,“ said Michael Zorc. Mats Hummels was quite specific, "It will count for nothing if we don’t beat Hannover.“