Borussia Dortmund have their sights firmly set on a place in the knockout rounds after claiming a late but deserved 2-0 (0-0) victory – their first of the group stages – over Zenit St. Petersburg on UEFA Champions League Matchday 2.

Boris Rupert reporting

Borussia set the tone in this game – played behind closed doors after the Ministry of Health decided at late notice not to allow a partial attendance of 300 fans, as had been permitted for the derby – but Reyna (15), Reus (39) and Haaland (42) all missed chances to secure a deserved half-time lead. The deadlock was eventually broken in the 78th minute when Sancho slotted home from the spot, with Haaland netting another in stoppage time to seal a 2-0 win.

The scenario: 
This was a meeting of the two losers from the opening round: while Borussia deservedly lost 3-1 away at Lazio, Zenit were condemned to a 2-1 defeat by Brugge in stoppage time. BVB were facing a Russian opponent for only the fourth time in their European history. Their home record prior to kick-off read: one win, one draw and one defeat.

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Personnel matters: 
Borussia were still without Can (suspended/COVID-19), Schmelzer (rehab following knee operation) and Zagadou (torn lateral collateral ligament). There were two changes to the starting XI that won the derby four days ago, with Delaney and Brandt both dropping to the bench to be replaced by Witsel and Reus.

Tactics: 
As they did against Schalke, BVB lined up with a back four. Witsel and Dahoud formed the central defensive midfield duo in Borussia's 4-2-3-1, with the Belgian cast in the more strategic role and the German handed more creative, attacking responsibilities. Sancho and Reyna played on the flanks either side of Reus, who frequently pushed up to join Haaland in attack and create a first line of pressing whenever Borussia – now in a 4-4-2 – lost the ball. Zenit transitioned between 4-2-3-1 in possession and 4-1-4-1 without it; Wendel would advance from a deeper role and push up level with the attacking midfield trio to reduce the gaps between them.

The match & analysis:
A brief spell around the 10-minute mark aside, Zenit St. Petersburg hardly ventured out of their own half and instead kept their focus on keeping things compact in defence and breaking up Borussia Dortmund's link-up play before they entered the penalty area. And they succeeded, for the most part. The Russians frequently managed to get a leg in the way and largely denied their opponents any goalscoring opportunities whatsoever. Only Reyna, whose powerful strike from 16 metres fizzed inches wide of the upright in the 15th minute, and Reus, who forced the keeper into a save from a free-kick 36 minutes in, really put the opposition goal under threat.

Meanwhile, a counter-attack at the other end almost saw Zenit take the lead in the 35th minute. Douglas Santos was allowed the space to cross in from the left towards Driussi, who collided with Bürki and headed over.

Borussia kept pushing for an opener before the interval – and they had opportunities too. On 39 minutes, Sancho played a lovely pass from a centre-left position into the box towards Reus, who was denied by a combination of good fortune and an outstretched leg from Kerzhakov in the opposition goal. Sancho played the ball into the path of Haaland three minutes later but the Norwegian fired narrowly wide from a centre-left position.

Reus struck the woodwork shortly after the restart, although a goal would have been disallowed for offside anyway. At the start of the second period, it became clear that the visitors would sit even deeper. Chances were few and far between, but in the 61st minute Reus had a volley that was teed up by Sancho deflected behind for a corner by Lovren. With heavy rain now falling, the waiting game continued.

But the deadlock was broken in the 77th minute when Meunier crossed into the box and Karavaev impeded substitute Hazard in the six-yard box. Sancho stepped up and coolly slotted home the spot-kick (78). Two defensive-minded players (Delaney and Bellingham) came on for two more attacking players (Reyna and Sancho) in the closing stages to protect the slender lead. Then, in stoppage time, Bürki's long ball downfield was flicked on by Bellingham into the path of Haaland, who kept his cool in front of goal to seal Borussia's first three points in the Champions League.

Outlook: 
Next up for Borussia Dortmund is a trip to Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday. They will then visit FC Brugge next Wednesday before rounding off the "English weeks" with 'Der Klassiker' against Bayern Munich.

Teams & goals