Match report
"Auba" scores but Dembelé denied by bar as BVB lose 2-1
Borussia Dortmund might have beaten Bayern Munich (1-0) and Legia Warsaw (8-4) in their last two outings but there was another setback in store on Matchday 12 of the Bundesliga season as the Black and Yellows lost 2-1 away to Eintracht Frankfurt, despite dominating the match for long spells.
Boris Rupert reporting from Frankfurt
The 51,500 spectators at a sold-out Commerzbank Arena saw an extremely defensive Frankfurt side give away only two chances – first to Schürrle (17), then to Aubameyang (29) – in the first half, before taking the lead through Huszti 20 seconds into the second. Aubameyang pulled one back in the 77th minute to revive BVB's hopes but Eintracht re-established their lead almost immediately when Seferovic sidefooted home. Two minutes into stoppage time, an effort from Dembelé was denied by the bar.
The scenario:
Despite being seventh against third, both teams had 21 points and were only separated by goal difference as they prepared to defend their respective five-match unbeaten runs on Matchday 12. BVB had more victories over Frankfurt than any other team (41) but had won only one of their six previous away matches against the Eagles, who were on a seven-match unbeaten streak at home stretching back into last season. BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke had called on the team to "build on" their win over Bayern last Saturday when they took on Frankfurt.
Personnel matters:
There were no more injuries, but not everyone was 100 percent fit. Reus started on the bench having played the full 90 minutes against Warsaw, scoring three and assisting two. In total, coach Thomas Tuchel made eight changes to the XI that started in the UCL on Tuesday, with only Weidenfeller, Ginter and Castro keeping their places. Frankfurt had 11 players unavailable, including Anderson, Mascarell, Russ and Stendera.
Tactics:
Dortmund's dominance could be attributed to their 4-3-3 system and three-pronged attack. Weigl operated as the sole defensive midfielder, while Götze (left) and Castro (right) occupied the other midfield roles behind Ramos, Aubameyang and Schürrle. Frankfurt lined up in a 4-4-1-1 system with two banks of four which allowed the Black and Yellows little room for link-up play. When the hosts had the ball, Gacinovic would drive forward from the left of midfield and join Meier up top, while Fabián sat in the hole between midfield and attack.
The match & analysis:
The vast majority of the first-half action unfolded in the Frankfurt half, with BVB enjoying 64% possession and seven shots to Eintracht's three. Soft efforts from Schürrle – the first straight at the 'keeper (14) and the second cleared away for a corner (16) – were followed by BVB's first clear chance. Again it fell to Schürrle, who received the ball from Aubameyang and shot from a centre-right position in the box but was denied by Hradecky, before a powerful Aubameyang free-kick from 20 metres out landed in the Frankfurt custodian's arms a mere two minutes later. Then, in the 29th minute, Aubameyang flicked the ball over his marker in the box but fired the ensuing shot narrowly wide from a centre-right position. Eintracht, on the other hand, did not threaten until the 36th minute, when Weidenfeller was on hand to deal with Huszti's effort from 18 metres.
BVB were mercilessly punished shortly after the restart when space suddenly opened up on the right for Chandler, who cut the ball back to the penalty spot for the onrushing Huszti to thunder an unstoppable effort past Weidenfeller and put the hosts 1-0 up. Exactly 20 seconds had been played.
A header from Ramos that sailed narrowly wide in the 58th minute was the first second-half chance for a Borussia side that had been left reeling by Frankfurt's opener. It also marked the end of the afternoon for the Colombian, who joined Schürrle and Weigl in coming off as Reus, Dembelé and Rode were introduced to the fray.
Aubameyang equalises but Seferovic hits immediate reply
And suddenly the game came alive! Reus, who had been fed by Aubameyang, drove into the box from the right and beat two opponents but was denied by Hradecky in the Frankfurt goal (64). Three minutes later Dembelé stormed down the right wing but Hradecky thwarted the danger before Reus could get to the ball. Then, in the 76th minute, Seferovic could have doubled the lead on a rare foray forward for the hosts but the Swiss striker fired narrowly wide of goal after being set up by Chandler.
Borussia pressed for the equaliser and were immediately rewarded when Dembelé beat Oczipka and crossed into the box for Aubameyang to head home the leveller (77). The celebrations among the 5,500 travelling fans were short-lived, however, as Huszti intercepted a misplaced pass after the restart and found Seferovic, who re-established the Eagles' lead with a well-placed left-footed effort from the edge of the area (79).
Dembelé denied by the bar in stoppage time
Borussia threw everything forward in the closing stages. With the game two minutes into stoppage time Sokratis played in Dembelé, whose effort hit the bar, before Borussia were denied a penalty two minutes later after Aubameyang was pulled down. But the claims were waved away and the final whistle soon followed to confirm BVB's third defeat of the season.
Prospects:
For the internationals in the squad, the coming week is the first without two fixtures since the end of August. The next action comes on Saturday 3 December, when BVB welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach to Signal Iduna Park at 15:30 CET.