BVB claim comfortable 5-0 win in Magdeburg to reach DFB Cup last 16

Dennis-Julian Gottschlich reporting

The Black & Yellows delivered a commanding display in front of 23,000 spectators at the MDCC Arena but the breakthrough eluded them until the 42nd minute when Castro, who had replaced the injured Dahoud moments earlier, fired home to open the scoring. Isak doubled the advantage two minutes after the restart and Magdeburg's resistance crumbled, with Yarmolenko converting a spot-kick awarded for handball on the 74-minute mark before Bartra headed home the fourth five minutes later. Kagawa then rounded off the scoring with seconds remaining by finishing off a wonderful passing move involving Sahin and Philipp.

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The scenario:
BVB had kicked off their title defence with a 4-0 victory at FC Rieslasingen-Arlen in the first round and were now looking to end their three-match winless run in all competitions. Magdeburg, who currently occupy second place in the third tier, had made a fine start of the season with a series of strong performances in the league and a deserved 2-0 victory over top-flight FC Augsburg in the first round of the cup. The tie was therefore by no means a foregone conclusion for the visitors, despite the two divisions separating the teams.

Personnel matters:
There were a number of personnel developments at BVB between the matches in Frankfurt and Magdeburg. Four players – Schmelzer and Dahoud (both starting XI) plus Guerreiro and Schürrle (both bench) – came back from injury, while Sokratis (Bundesliga suspension), Kagawa, Zagadou and Yarmolenko returned to the starting XI and Isak made his first start for the Black & Yellows in a competitive match. Meanwhile, Aubameyang, Weigl (both muscular problems) and Pulisic (calf) remained in Dortmund along with Götze, who had played three games in the space of seven days despite returning from a five-month injury layoff not so long ago. Others absentees included Toprak (thigh strain), Piszczek (torn lateral collateral ligament), Reus (rehab), Rode (pubic bone problems) and Durm (hip operation). Magdeburg were without Schiller, Laprevotte and Schwede.

Tactics:
1. FCM took to the field in a 4-2-3-1 formation and opted for a defensive-minded approach, withdrawing deep into their own half whenever Dortmund had the ball, consistently pressing their opponents with two men and covering a lot of ground in the opening half in a bid to shut down the passing channels. BVB, meanwhile, lined up in their usual 4-3-3 formation and remained patient, but despite rarely resorting to long balls they largely struggled to unlock the gaps in the Magdeburg rearguard in the opening 45 minutes. Upon regaining possession, the plucky third-tier outfit threw both full-backs forward to provide support.

The match & analysis:
For the BVB supporters watching from the stands, it must have felt like déjà-vu in the opening stages. The visitors started in Magdeburg much as they had finished in Frankfurt four days earlier, missing a good chance with just four minutes on the clock. Hasebe had cleared a close-range Sahin effort off the line to deny Dortmund a late winner in Hesse on Saturday, and it appeared to be more of the same in Saxony-Anhalt when Philipp hit the upright from four metres out and shot-stopper Brunst made an incredible goal-line save from Isak on the rebound.

Unfortunate as it may have been for the visitors, that first moment of danger in front of goal provided encouragement for the remaining 86 minutes – in which the Black & Yellows lived up to their billing as favourites and largely looked solid at the back, though they created little of note in the next 20 minutes. The next chance fell to Yarmolenko, who shot from a centre-right position seven metres out but was denied by Brunst, before Dahoud hit a long-range thunderbolt narrowly wide of the goal a few seconds later (23). The hosts immediately countered and Bürki was called into action for the first time, the Swiss custodian making a comfortable save from Türpitz (24).

Supersub Castro breaks deadlock

For the most part, however, attempts to get forward were few and far between for the hosts, who at times had nine or ten players camped around their penalty area. It developed into a waiting game for the Westphalians, who were forced into a substitution on the stroke of half-time when Dahoud was injured making a challenge in midfield. Castro replaced the youngster and made an immediate impact seconds later, drifting unmarked into space in the six-yard box as Yarmolenko crossed from the right flank. Isak headed the ball down in to the path of the midfielder, whose first-time effort from the edge of the six-yard box flew into the bottom corner to make it 1-0 in the 42nd minute.

BVB continued after the restart in much the same vein as they had finished the first period, doubling their lead through Isak in the 47th minute. They broke at speed and Yarmolenko played the ball out to Philipp, who threaded it through to the Swedish youngster and he hit a composed finish from ten metres out through Brunst's legs and into the far corner. The visitors continued to dominate thereafter and killed the game on 74 minutes when a penalty was awarded for a handball by Schäfer in the box. Yarmolenko dispatched the ensuing spot-kick into the bottom left corner before Bartra added a fourth five minutes later, heading home a Kagawa cross. Philipp went close with a scissor kick from 15 metres out in the 84th minute, but Kagawa finally added the fifth with seconds remaining when he latched on to Philipp's flick and prodded home from inside the box.

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Prospects:
Next up on the agenda for Borussia Dortmund is a Bundesliga trip to Hannover 96 on Saturday (15:30 CET). They then host Apoel Nicosia in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday 1 November (20:45 CET).

Teams & goals