Match Report
1-1 in Gladbach – one solo goal, one penalty, one point
Boris Rupert reporting
In front of a sell-out crowd of 54,042 spectators, an enthusiastic Gladbach turned what was a highly-promising start from Dortmund into an error-strewn encounter in which possession frequently changed hands and there was little structure on both sides. Gittens put Dortmund in front thanks to an outstanding piece of individual play in the 64th minute but the lead lasted only seven minutes, with Stöger slotting home a penalty awarded for a foul to make it 1-1. Guirassy's header in stoppage time was only centimetres away from sealing a last-gap victory.
The scenario:
Only three points separated 10th place (Gladbach) from fifth (Dortmund). Recently, the duo had always played to win this tradition-steeped clash, with the last 22 meetings in the Bundesliga never producing a draw and the last 54 clashes never resulting in a 0-0. Borussia Dortmund had mostly come out on top recently, with 15 victories from the last 18 Bundesliga meetings.
Personnel matters:
BVB, who were without Brandt, Adeyemi and Anton, started with the same line-up that was on the pitch following Anton's early substitution in the 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich (17th minute). Can was not yet back to full fitness (back problems) and therefore started the match on the bench after having served his suspension.
Tactics:
Operating in a 4-3-3 system, BVB played a high-pressing game. Three Dortmund players put Gladbach under pressure on the edge of their box during build-up play. For Gladbach, who lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, it was mostly Stöger who operated in the middle of the attacking midfield trio. He was tasked with disrupting Nmecha, the central figure in Dortmund's build-up play, early on. After Gittens had won his first seven challenges, Gladbach's right-back Scally was given support and the Englishman was consistently tracked by two opponents. From the halfway line onwards, the hosts hounded Dortmund and hardly allowed any space to open up.
The match & analysis:
The match started with a strong attack from Dortmund: Gittens asserted himself on the left and passed into the middle, where Guirassy allowed the ball to run through for Sabitzer in behind. But his shot from a central position around 13 metres out went wide of the mark (5). That was followed by two close situations in the Dortmund box. Bensebaini first made unintentional contact with Scally's foot off the ball (13), but fortunately no spot-kick was awarded for this incident or – completely correctly – for the one that occurred two minutes later: the ball was fired at Guirassy from close range and the ball bounced up onto his hand from his thigh.
At the other end, Gladbach's goalkeeper Nicolas had problems dealing with a Nmecha cross and the ball fell to the feet of Beier. But he fired his shot on the turn over the crossbar (16). That was followed by a phase with plenty of simple possession losses on both sides, meaning that the shot count of 4-1 to Dortmund from the opening quarter of an hour did not change for a long time – until Guirassy tried a scissor kick but failed to make proper contact (34). Gittens' shot from range posed Nicolas problems, but he saved the bouncing strike (42).
BVB struggled to get in front of goal after the interval, let alone build up pressure. Instead, the home team clawed the shot count back to 7-5 in Dortmund's favour. Beier had to be substituted with an injury around the hour mark and was replaced by Malen, who found himself in a good shooting position after exactly one hour but did not take advantage.
But a wonderful piece of individual play then made the difference. After a pass from Schlotterbeck, Gittens danced past two (!) opponents on the left of the box, cut inside and fired the ball in off the underside of the bar to put Dortmund ahead. Luck and Kobel's goalkeeping denied Plea an equaliser only a short while later (68). A possible infringement by Groß on Kleindienst was subsequently reviewed and Stieler awarded the penalty, which Stöger converted for 1-1 (71). All to play for again.
BVB continued to go forward but also continued to lack precision. They had to be on their guard when Gladbach forayed forward and had to defend one or two corner-kicks. Following one such corner, Kobel turned Hack's strike onto the crossbar (81)! Süle then had to go off injured.
And the clock was ticking. No Dortmund player wanted to settle for the 1-1 draw. They laid siege to the Gladbach penalty area in the closing stages and absolutely wanted to win but initially could not create any chances. Nicolas cleared to thwart Guirassy (87). There were then eight minutes of stoppage time, in which Guirassy put a Reyna cross agonisingly wide of the right upright (90+3). Cvancara was sent off for a second booking.
Outlook:
BVB will play two home games next week: against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (21:00 CET) and against TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday (17:30 CET).
Teams & goals
Bundesliga Matchday 13
BOR. M’GLADBACH 1-1 (0-0) BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Bor. Mönchengladbach: Nicolas – Scally, Elvedi, Itakura, Ullrich – Reitz (Friedrich, 90+7), Weigl – Honorat (Ngoumou, 89), Stöger (Sander, 75), Plea (Hack, 75) – Kleindienst (Cvancara, 89)
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Ryerson, Süle (Can, 83), Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini – Nmecha – Sabitzer, Groß (Reyna, 78) – Beier (Malen, 58), Guirassy, Gittens
Substitutes: Omlin, Chiarodia, Lainer, Fukuda – Meyer, Kabar, Lührs, Couto, Azhil, Duranville
Goals: 0-1 Gittens (Schlotterbeck, 64), 1-1 Stöger (penalty for foul on Kleindienst by Groß, 71)
Corners: 7-4 (3-1 at half-time), chance ratio: 4-6 (1-3)
Referee: Stieler (Hamburg), red card: Cvancara (repeated foul play, 90+5), yellow card: Weigl – Schlotterbeck, Groß
Attendance: 54,042 (sold-out), weather: initially dry, windy, 7 degrees