Bundesliga
0-0 - BVB come alive after the break but fail to find the net
There was to be no winner in the 149th Ruhr Derby between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke. Though an exciting encounter, the Matchday 9 clash between the two arch rivals was largely devoid of chances and ended in a 0-0 draw.
The 80,179 spectators at a sold-out Signal Iduna Park saw a first half with few incidents of note between two very tactically disciplined sides who struggled to get any shots in. In fact, for the first time since records began, BVB failed to have a single shot in the opening 45 minutes of a home game. That changed after the interval as Borussia sprang into life and created significantly more chances but simply couldn't find the net.
Dennis-Julian Gottschlich reporting
The scenario:
BVB had failed to win their previous three matches in the Bundesliga (two draws and one defeat) but had picked up momentum from their midweek penalty shootout victory over Union Berlin in the DFB Cup. Schalke, meanwhile, had recovered from a poor start to the season to win five of their last six competitive matches. The Black and Yellows had the marginally better head-to-head record against the Royal Blues, with 32 victories, 26 draws and 30 defeats to their name.
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Personnel matters:
Borussia were without Castro (muscular problems), Schmelzer (fibre tear), Bender (bone marrow oedema), Reus, Subotic (both in fitness training) and Durm (knee operation). Guerreiro and Schürrle were both back in the squad after spells on the sidelines. Thomas Tuchel made five changes to the side that started the DFB Cup tie in midweek, bringing in Weigl, Pulisic, Kagawa, Dembélé and Aubameyang in place of Sahin, Mor, Bruun Larsen, Castro and Ramos. Schalke were without Coke (cruciate ligament), Embolo (ankle and fibula), Uchida (fitness training) and Huntelaar (lateral collateral ligament).
Tactics:
BVB took to the field in their usual 4-1-4-1 formation and relied on central midfielders Götze and Kagawa for creative inspiration, who looked to pick out Pulisic and Dembélé on the flanks and Aubameyang in attack. As they have often done recently, Schalke lined up in a 3-5-2 formation with Di Santo up top and Meyer slotting in the hole behind. When Dortmund were in possession, S04 wingers Schöpf und Kolasinac would drop back into defence to form a five-man rearguard.
The match & analysis:
It was a highly intense and tactical affair from the very first minute, with BVB dictating the rhythm and repeatedly pressing Schalke back into their own half. The visitors formed a defensive wall that was tough to crack and attempted to counter at speed as soon as they had regained the ball. They succeeded in doing so twice at the outset but Sokratis came to the hosts' rescue both times by throwing himself into the path of shots by Meyer (3) and Di Santo (14) in the BVB box. Weigl's name went into the referee's notebook early on for a tactical foul on Meyer on the halfway line that was committed to prevent the youngster going clean through (12).
BVB come alive after the break
BVB's thinking was therefore clear from the outset: they would somehow have to find a gap in the Schalke rearguard, as their well-marshalled visitors gave them hardly any space for quick build-up play in and around the penalty area. Schalke went hard into the tackles in a bid to knock BVB out of their stride. Nastasic and Bentaleb were both cautioned within the space of two minutes (34 and 36) for fouls on Aubameyang and Dembélé and could count themselves lucky that the punishment wasn't worse. The first half ended with the score 0-0 without either team having carved out a dangerous shooting opportunity.
However, the first ten minutes of the second period produced more incidents of note than the entire first 45 minutes. First Dembélé broke through down the left flank and crossed into the centre, hitting Höwedes on the hand in the box, but referee Brych waved away penalty claims (47). Then, at the other end, Kolasinac shot from 12 metres out, only for Bürki to push the ball away for a corner (49). Just minutes later Pulisic crossed the ball from the right towards the far post, where a lurking Dembélé hit the crossbar from close range (53).
Tense until the very end
Borussia Dortmund had now come alive and, with their fans behind them, began to pose a greater threat to the Schalke goal: Pulisic missed with a scissor kick from the penalty spot (57), Aubameyang's free-kick from 18 metres hit the wall (60) and Götze drove into the box but was denied by Fährmann as he came out to make the block (73). Just seconds later Aubameyang went one better, rounding Fährmann and playing the ball into the middle, but a defender cleared the ball off the line at the last second to deny Pulisic (74).
The Black and Yellows would have deserved their lead, too, as Schalke offered little else. The hosts pressed and introduced attacking reinforcements in the form of Guerreiro and Schürrle but, a shot from Aubameyang that sailed wide aside, produced nothing else. It meant that the Ruhr Derby ended goalless for the tenth time - no other fixture in Bundesliga history has produced as many 0-0 draws.
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Prospects:
The games are coming thick and fast for BVB, who will welcome Sporting Lisbon to Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday 2 November (20:45 CET) before travelling away to Hamburg in the Bundesliga next Saturday (15:30 CET).