BVB shrug off injury issues to win 3-1 in Bielefeld

Boris Rupert reporting from Bielefeld

In front of 25,000 spectators in the sold-out "Alm", BVB went into the break with a 2-0 lead thanks to penalty converted by Emre Can after 21 minutes and a spectacular long-range effort from Mats Hummels just before the break, but had to cope with another injury setback: Gregor Kobel did not return from the dressing room for the second half. Jude Bellingham extended the Black and Yellows' lead to 3-0 on 73 minutes, but Fabian Klos scored a late consolation goal for Bielefeld from the spot three minutes before the final whistle.

The scenario:  
Seventeenth against second. Bielefeld were one of two teams yet to record a victory, but had lost only three times. Borussia were six games unbeaten against Arminia and had won their last three against Bielefeld (6-0, 2-0, 3-0).

Personnel matters:   
Injuries to Haaland, Meunier and Schulz increased the number of players on the treatment table to eleven. In addition to young stars Coulibaly and Raschl, Dahoud, Guerreiro, Reyna, Moukoko, Morey and Schmelzer were also not available for the game, while Zagadou was on duty with the U23s. Head coach Rose had to improvise, especially in the full-back area, where five of the six "specialists" in the position were missing. He made four changes to the starting line-up from Tuesday's game in Amsterdam, as Pongracic, Wolf, Hazard and Can replaced Meunier, Schulz, Witsel and Haaland.

Tactics:  
Rose sent out his team in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Akanji, Pongracic and Hummels operating as a back-three. BVB's wing-backs Wolf on the right and Hazard on the left also dropped in to help out on the defensive end while Bielefeld had the ball. Can and Bellingham occupied the central midfield, with Bellingham operating significantly higher while BVB were attacking. Up front, Reus and Brandt operated behind centre-forward Malen. Arminia lined up in a 3-4-1-2 system with two strikers (Hack and Serra) and one attacking midfielder (Schöpf). When Dortmund were in possession of the ball, the wing-backs Laursen on the left and Fernandes on the right dropped in to form a five-man back line, from which Nilsson often came out to attack further up the pitch.

The match & analysis:
Arminia, who were set up to soak up some pressure, had two early chances. The first was down to some quick passing between Schöpf, Fernandes and Hack, who was denied by Kobel on 10 minutes. The second came from a misplaced pass, which set Serra free in a one-on-one situation against Kobel after 18 minutes. The initial scares prompted Pongracic and Akanji (now in the centre) to switch positions.

After initial dominance and a good shot by Malen, who forced Ortega to make a diving save after 7 minutes, BVB struggled to put together a string of meaningful passes. Instead, it was a set piece that gave the Black and Yellows the lead: after a Reus free-kick was initially defended well, Malen dribbled into the box and was tripped by Brunner as he looked to play in Bellingham. Referee Brand immediately pointed to the spot. Can grabbed the ball and, after a brief discussion with Reus, confidently converted the penalty to give his side the lead on 31 minutes.

Four minutes later, Wolf fired a shot from the inside right of the Bielefeld penalty area. Ortega blocked the ball with his foot and the ball fell to Reus, who was visibly surprised, and could not get the rebound under control to find the net. But despite the miss, BVB were once again dominating the game. Shortly before the break, Brandt initially miscontrolled a Malen pass, but still managed to get into a good shooting position on the inside right thanks to lightning-fast reactions. Ortega could only get his upper arm to the ball to send it out for a corner. Pieper got his head to the resulting corner, sending the ball high, but not far enough. Hummels took aim and displayed excellent technique to send the ball high into the top-right-hand corner with a side scissor kick to give BVB a 2-0 lead just before half-time.

Kobel, who had received treatment in the 18th minute after his goalkeeping heroics against Serra and Hack, was not able to continue. Hitz took his place between the sticks for the beginning of the second half. Bielefeld also made two changes, bringing on Klos and Ramos. Borussia continued to control the game that was played largely between the penalty areas, but produced few highlights until the 69th minute, when Prietl played in the substitute Wimmer, who fired a strong shot at the BVB goal from ten metres out on the right of goal, but Hitz reacted magnificently to save.

And just as Bielefeld's fans were sensing an exciting comeback, Bellingham put the game to bed. Substitute Tigges picked up the ball after a Reus shot and found Brandt down the right, who flew down the wing. His cross was a touch too far, but Reus controlled the ball and pulled it back to Bellingham, who left two Bielefeld defenders standing on the left-hand side of the box and fired home to make it 0-3 on 73 minutes. A Bielefeld defender had tried to clear the ball, but was standing just behind the line.

Klos pulled one back for Arminia from the spot to make 1-3 three minutes before the end of regulation time, but there were no more highlights in the four minutes of injury time played.

Outlook:  
On Tuesday, BVB will play FC Ingolstadt in the second round of the DFB-Pokal. Kick-off at Signal Iduna Park is at 20:00 CET. You can purchase tickets here.

Team & goals