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Reus bade farewell with applause in 4-0 win over Darmstadt
Boris Rupert reporting
The 81,365 spectators at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK bade Marco Reus an emotionally charged farewell from his "living room". And the 34-year-old was in scintillating form, with the assist for Ian Maatsen's opener (30), a wonderful free-kick goal for 2-0 (38), the most shots at goal (four), the most sprints (19) and a 57% challenge win rate in the first half. Julian Brandt upped the lead to 3-0 in the 72nd minute, before Donyell Malen rounded off the scoring at 4-0 with two minutes left.
The scenario:
Fifth versus 18th. The final placements of both teams were already confirmed prior to kick-off. 30 points from 16 home games was BVB's worst haul for nine years (27 back then). Darmstadt had picked up almost twice as many points on their travels (11 points) as they had on home soil (six).
Personnel matters:
It was the "PSG XI" with one exception: Brandt dropped to the bench for Reus, who took to the field as captain in his 294th and final Bundesliga game for Borussia Dortmund.
Tactics:
Can, Sabitzer and Reus occupied staggered positions in midfield between the attacking triumvirate (Sancho, Füllkrug, Adeyemi) and the back four and were supported by Maatsen during build-up play, with the 4-2-1-3 then becoming a 3-4-3. Darmstadt defended with a back five and lined up in a 3-4-1-2 formation when they had possession.
Match summary:
The match was not played at a high intensity but BVB were significantly more dominant (67% possession in the first 25 minutes). Reus went for goal with a free-kick from the left corner of the box (narrowly wide, 7) and then the No. 11 hammered the ball against the crossbar from 11 metres out in the 11th minute after being teed up by Sancho. Another shot that struck the woodwork (Sabitzer from Sancho's pass) led to the opener: the loose ball fell to Maatsen, who slotted home for 1-0 after playing a one-two with Reus (30). Eight minutes later, Reus added to his tally with a direct free-kick from 17 metres: the ball flew straight into the top-left corner – a dream goal.
Malen, who had come off the bench seconds before, caught Schuhen by surprise with a shot from a tight angle. Darmstadt's keeper managed to close his legs in time (62). Fellow substitute Brandt had also entered the fray, with Reus now leading the line at centre-forward. Sancho teed up Brandt to make it 3-0. The Dortmund man got the better of his opponent in the centre-left of the box and placed the ball into the far corner (72). Schlotterbeck then played Malen in behind. He was afforded far too much space, but was first denied by the left upright before then slotting home the rebound.
Outlook:
Round numbers: Borussia Dortmund will play their 50th and final competitive match of the 2023/24 season against Real Madrid at Wembley on 1 June. It will also be the 300th European game in the club's history.
Teams & goals
Bundesliga Matchday 34
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 4-0 (2-0) SV DARMSTADT 98
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Ryerson (Wolf, 73), Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen – Can, Sabitzer – Reus (Nmecha, 82) – Sancho (Bynoe-Gittens, 73), Füllkrug (Brandt, 61), Adeyemi (Malen, 61)
Darmstadt 98: Schuhen – Zimmermann (Isherwood, 67), Klarer, Maglica – Bader, Kempe, Gjasula (Schnellhardt, 85), Karic – Mehlem (Justvan, 66) – Vilhelmsson (Honsak, 66), Skarke (Torsiello, 78)
Substitutes: Meyer, Süle, Özcan, Moukoko – Behrens, Brunst, Müller, Arania
Goals: 1-0 Maatsen (Reus, 30), 2-0 Reus (38), 3-0 Brandt (Sancho, 72), 4-0 Malen (Schlotterbeck, 88)
Corners: 7-3 (3-3 at half-time), chance ratio: 6-1 (5-0)
Referee: Siebert (Berlin), yellow cards: – Klarer, Gjasula, Vilhelmsson
Attendance: 81,365 (sold-out), weather: bright, 20 degrees