Boris Rupert reporting
The Signal Iduna Park was not quite sold-out and the 65,000 crowd witnessed a pacy game in which Borussia took the lead after 19 minutes when a textbook counter-attack was finished off with Lewandowski´s twelfth Champions League goal. Six minutes into the second half Marco Reus extended the lead with a direct free-kick as Borussia often threatened to overrun the French side. With ten minutes to go it was Lewandowski again who rounded off the scoring as he converted from the penalty spot.
The Scenario:
 Both teams had suffered 2-1 defeats in their opening CL games with the BVB result in Naples marking their only defeat so far this season. The Bundesliga leaders had won nine of eleven competitive fixtures (the draw coming in Nuremberg) but their history against French sides hinted at a night of problems. In the last seven meetings with French opposition not one had ended with a BVB victory. Indeed, the last win was as far back as 2002 when Auxerre were beaten 2-1. The last meeting with Marseille had ended in defeat in December 2011.

Personnel Matters:
 The only change to the team that started on Saturday against Freiburg was in goal with Langerak replacing Weidenfeller. Kuba, laid low with a slight head cold, was on the bench while the likes of Piszscek, Schmelzer and Gündogan joined Weidenfeller on the sidelines. Kehl, too, was not available and so it was that Hummels led the team onto the field.
Tactics:
 Olympique Marseille opted to follow the example of many teams who have recently played against BVB´s explosive 4-2-3-1 formation, dropping back into a 4-4-2 whenever the home side was in possession. Up front for Marseille, therefore, were the forward, Khalifa and the ´No 10´ Valbuena. Borussia Dortmund hassled and harried the French side high up the field with the two full-backs, Großkreutz and Durm, pushing on pretty regularly with Sahin dropping back to provide cover on those occasions.
The Game and Analysis:
 Reus struck two shots on the French goal as early as the second and sixth minutes but the home fans were soon sighing with relief at the other end when Khalifa found himself in on goal. Durm stormed back and made a challenge from behind which resulted in both players tumbling into the box. Happily for BVB referee Borbalan waved play on. It was probably the right decision, but certainly felt game-defining at the time.

Erik Durm crosses for Lewandowski to open the scoring.
BVB´s pressing game was simply world-class. The opening goal will find a place in any instruction manual on the ´counter-attack´. Marseille had a free-kick which BVB defended well and exploded into attack. It took just seven seconds to get the ball from one end to the other with Mkhitaryan and Sahin delivering the ball into Reus´ path wide left. His cross duly found Mkhitaryan on the other side. Looking up the ball fizzed from his boot back across to Durm who provided the killer pass into the box where Lewandowski slid the ball home beyond Mandala to make it 1-0 after just 19 minutes.

Just three minutes later, another high-speed attack ended with Großkreutz finding Lewandowski in the box only this time Mandanda made a fine reflex save to push the ball wide for a corner.
 
 Marseille, despite all this, were proving to be difficult opponents and lengthy periods of possession football helped them gain confidence a little following this early shock. With half an hour gone BVB had notched up six shots to the visitors´ two but Marseille were ahead in other statistical battles such as tackles won and possession. On 21 minutes Langerak did well to deny a Valbuena free-kick.
 
 But at the other end Mandanda was soon fetching the ball from the back of his net again. Lewandowski had scored again, and although Hummels who was the provider , had been in an offside position the referee probably got this decision right as well.
 
 The second half was just a minute old when another critical decision arrived as the referee once again waved play on after Mendy had hit the ball at his own hand in attempting to clear, Once again, Borbalan was probably correct with his call.

But events were soon moving along with Reus sending a free-kick into the box which saw Hummels in a headed duel with Fanni . The ball eluded both of them and as so often happens, with the ´keeper anticipating contact, the ball skipped on into the goal to make it 2-0 to Dortmund on 51 minutes.
 
 The Black n Yellows continued to attack with vigour, often involving Aubameyang. It was he, on 57 minutes who fed Reus only for the striker´s back-heel to be denied by the defence. Chances came along regularly and the crowd bellowed their approval loud and often. Such as when Mkhitaryan found Durm whose stunning drive was only just deflected around the post by the foot of Mandanda.
 
 Borussia Dortmund pretty much found the perfect balance between fulminating attack and economy of effort. They were strong at the back and whilst the visitors continued to enjoy the bulk of possession, Langerak did not really have a lot to do on his Champions League debut.
 
 The third goal arrived with ten minutes remaining. Having played a one-two with Kuba, Reus looked up hoping to square for Reus. He quickly realised that the Pole was in an offside position and opted to try on his own only to be brought down in the box by N´Koulou. Lewandowski calmly slotted home the penalty to make it 3-0. There was still time for Sahin to test Marseille´s best player, Mandanda, but the score remained the same as BVB enjoyed a wonderful European evening.
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Prospects:
 BVB next meet Arsenal on 22 October. Ahead of that and before the international break BVB travel to play Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Bundesliga on Saturday (kick-off: 1530 CET).