BVB held to frustrating goalless draw at Freiburg

Dennis-Julian Gottschlich reporting 

The 24,000 spectators at a sold-out Schwarzwaldstadion witnessed an extremely tough match in which Freiburg sat back and camped their entire team in and around their own penalty area. The visitors lost two players to injury, with Bartra sustaining an adductor problem (18) and Schmelzer being stretchered off following a bad foul from Ravet. The Freiburg man was initially booked, before VAR was consulted and the referee instead opted to give Ravet his marching orders (29). If anything, the decision made life more difficult for BVB, as the men from Breisgau subsequently made no attempt to get forward and the Black & Yellows struggled to break down their defence.

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The scenario:
BVB travelled to Breisgau having yet to drop a point or concede a goal. Opponents Freiburg, meanwhile, only had one point and had already conceded four goals. The Black & Yellows had completely dominated their recent meetings, winning each of the last 12 clashes between the teams, so they were clear favourites. But Peter Bosz remained cautious. "It won't be easy. All of the players will have to be completely focused to get a good result," he said.

Personnel matters:
Schmelzer returned from a seven-week injury layoff to replace Zagadou in the starting line-up, but Peter Bosz made no other changes to the team that beat Hertha BSC in the run-up to the international break. Durm (hip problems), Guerreiro (rehab following broken foot), Reus (partially torn cruciate ligament), Rode (stress reaction on pubic bone), Sancho (still ineligible), Schürrle (fibre tear) and Weigl (lack of match fitness) all remained in the treatment room. Freiburg boss Christian Streich had an equally lengthy inury list to contend with. Gulde (back problems), Kempf (torn muscle fibre), Niedermeier (lack of match fitness), Höfler (suspended), Meffert (rehab) and Guedé (lack of match fitness) were all out of action.

Tactics:
While BVB continued in the 4-3-3 formation they have employed in every competitive match this season, Freiburg boss Streich made personnel and tactical changes, lining his charges up in a deep-lying and highly defensive 4-4-2 formation. When Dortmund had possession, all ten outfield players were camped in a 15-metre corridor of the pitch. The two banks of four were spearheaded by a hard-running front duo that worked hard to track back.

The match & analysis:
BVB had almost 80 percent possession in the opening half, though they created little in the way of goalscoring opportunities as Freiburg defended compactly and closed down the spaces. A blocked volley from Götze from 14 metres out (9) and an Aubameyang header that went off target from seven metres out were the only moments of genuine danger that the Black & Yellows engineered in the opening stages. Freiburg, meanwhile, were happy to sit back and counter, carving out their first real goalscoring opportunity in the sixth minute through Kleindienst. But Bürki kept his cool and denied the striker in a one-on-one to prevent Freiburg taking an early lead.

Bad news: Schmelzer and Bartra forced off with injury

The Black & Yellows were not helped by the fact that Peter Bosz was forced to make two substitutions inside the opening half-hour after Bartra and Schmelzer sustained injuries. Bartra was replaced by Toprak in the 18th minute after picking up an adductor problem, before Schmelzer's comeback was cut short by a foul from Ravet 11 minutes later. He received lengthy treatment on the pitch before subsequently being stretchered off. It was an extremely bitter moment for both the captain and BVB, who brought on Zagadou as a replacement on the left of defence. Ravet was initially booked for the challenge but while Schmelzer was being treated, the decision was reviewed by VAR in Cologne and referee Benjamin Cortus changed his mind, instead showing Ravet a red card for what had been a really rash challenge.

Having been reduced to ten men, Freiburg defended even more deeply with their nine remaining outfield players camped in and around the penalty area. At times, the match bore a great resemblance to handball than football, with BVB positioned on the edge of the box searching for the gaps at the back. Sahin failed to beat Schwolow with a long-distance effort in the 40th minute, before Aubameyang had an unsuccessful attempt from 15 metres out (43). Otherwise, there were few chances of note for BVB in the first 45 minutes.

It arguably became even more challenging for Borussia Dortmund after the break. Freiburg had now given up any hope of attacking, instead attempting to keep the scores goalless and salvage a point. But as the match progressed, the visitors began to unlock the defence and create better chances. Schwolow made a strong save to deny Pulisic's shot on the turn (47), before Aubameyang headed narrowly over (54). Two minutes later, the Gabon forward, Pulisic and Zagadou all failed to get a touch on a cross towards the back post from Castro. An effort from Piszczek sailed wide of the mark on 62 minutes, then Philipp latched onto a loose ball 12 metres out but hit his shot narrowly high and wide (64). With nine minutes of the match remaining, Piszczek headed the ball inches wide of the back post. Peter Bosz had made his third and final change a couple of minutes earlier, handing Yarmolenko his BVB debut in place of Götze, but the Ukrainian could not find the net in the closing stages.

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Prospects:
The season is really in full swing now, with Borussia Dortmund playing six more matches in the next 20 days. Next on the agenda is a Champions League clash with Tottenham Hotspur in London on Wednesday (20:45 CET), before they play host to 1. FC Köln at Signal Iduna Park in the Bundesliga next Sunday (17/09, 18:00 CET).

Teams & goals