UEFA Champions League
BVB reach knockouts with 0-0 draw against Bruges
Borussia Dortmund have wrapped up their place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League by drawing 0-0 at home to Club Bruges on Matchday 5, although their chances of winning the group are no longer in their own hands.
Boris Rupert reporting
The 66,099 spectators at a sold-out Signal Iduna Park saw a close-fought encounter between the Bundesliga league leaders and the Belgian champions, who spent most of the match defending in their own half without ever really allowing their opponents goalscoring opportunities.
The scenario:
BVB went into the match having won eight and drawn one of their previous nine home games in all competitions and knowing a point would see them safely through. It was last-chance saloon for the Belgians, would could only stay in the competition with a win in Dortmund. Ominously, however, they had never previously won a match in Germany (three draws, nine defeats).
Personnel matters:
Schmelzer was the only injury absentee for the Black & Yellows, who rotated on the flanks as expected and made five changes in total to the starting XI that beat Mainz 2-1 in the Bundesliga last time out. Diallo, Dahoud, Pulisic, Guerreiro and Alcácer began in place of Hakimi, Delaney, Sancho, Bruun Larsen and Götze (all substitutes).
Tactics:
The Black & Yellows lined up in a 4-2-3-1 system, while Bruges opted for a deep-lying 4-4-2 formation in which all 10 outfield players retreated into a corridor of no more than 10 metres when the home side had possession. The Belgians remained patient and waited for opportunities to pick out the pacy Wesley with through-balls.
The match & analysis:
BVB might have had 80 percent possession in the first 20 minutes, but their lack of speed when switching the play meant the Bruges rearguard had enough time to maneouvre themselves into position. Only on one occasion did they manage to break through. Akanji played a through-ball into the box towards Reus, who let it run through to the unmarked Pulisic. But the American's left-footed shot did not have enough power and Horvath made the save (10).
On the half-hour mark centre-back Akanji intercepted a long ball and headed it into the path of Reus, who found himself almost clean through but fired the ball narrowly wide of the upright.
BVB remained comfortably in the ascendancy after the interval without ever making the breakthrough. The only danger in the Bruges penalty area came in the 48th minute when Denswil intercepted a Reus cross on the edge of the six-yard box as Pulisic readied to shoot. At the other end, Dennis shot narrowly wide of the mark following a 74th-minute counter-attack.
All the chances and highlights at a click
Outlook:
The next home game at Signal Iduna Park takes place in only three days' time, with BVB set to host SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CET).