Borussia Dortmund go into the winter break having lost their final home home game of the year. On the 17th Matchday of the Bundesliga programme BVB went down 2-1 (2-1) to Hertha BSC Berlin. Following an early Reus goal, Hertha turned the game round in the space of 22 painful minutes.

Spielpaarung Borussia Dortmund - Hertha BSC

Johannes Vorspohl reporting

A sell-out crowd of 80,645 in the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK saw Reus give Borussia the lead on seven minutes but the visitors from the capital really came back into the game and managed to nose ahead by half-time courtesy of goals from Ramos (23rd) and Allagui on 45 minutes. The second half saw the visitors defend their lead cleverly and, when needed, with muscle.

The Scenario:

Despite the fact that BVB had managed to earn just five points from their last four games, their total of 32 points from 16 games was more than they had at the same stage in the last two seasons. Hertha, in seventh the best placed of the promoted clubs, came into the game on the back of a three game unbeaten run which had earned them seven points.

Personnel Matters:

Jürgen Klopp was once again without the services of Hummels, Subotic and Gündogan whilst Schmelzer was not yet fit enough to be considered for the squad. Kehl and Kuba started the game in a line-up showing four changes from the eleven that faced Hoffenheim with Weidenfeller, Mkhitaryan, Großkreutz and Sokratis returning for Langerak, Aubameyang, Piszczek and Friedrich. Visitors Hertha were without Kraft, Brooks, Holland, Langkamp, van den Bergh, Baumjohann and Ben-Hatira.

Tactics:

While BVB set out in their familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, Jos Luhukay sent his team out in a 4-1-4-1 system with Hosogai and Cigerci filling holding roles in midfield. The lone man up top for Hertha was Ramos.

Durm tussles for the ball with Allagui
Erik Durm tussles with Sami Allagui.

The Game and Analysis:

Borussia started brightly and were soon rewarded when a long ball over the top from Kehl set Reus free beyond the Hertha defence and he coolly slotted the ball past the onrushing Gersbeck into the net, 1-0 on 7 minutes! The goal was the seventh goal for Reus this season.

Dortmund, for a while, continued to dominate proceedings and for spells, Berlin had ten men behind the ball. Chances to extend the lead came along in the 12th and 17th minutes, but Lewandowski and Sokratis failed to take advantage while Weidenfeller at the other end had to be at his best to deny Ramos.

With a quarter of an hour gone, Hertha began to find their feet and came forward more, pressing BVB high up the field. In just one such scene Allagui pressured Durm and skipped away as far as the edge of the box before crossing a perfect ball for Ramos to beat Sokratis to the ball and convert to notch the equaliser with 23 minutes gone.

BVB were now finding it hard to find their game again with Hertha pressing high and as the game neared the halfway mark, penalty box action was at a premium. Borussia had to be very careful in possession, because whenever Hertha pounced it was with purpose and as many were turning their minds to a half-time coffee, Sarr allowed a ball to escape him and Allagui was in, quick as sixpence to shove the ball past Weidenfeller into the net to make it 1-2 on the stroke of half-time.

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The equaliser: Weidenfeller has no chance against Ramos from close range.

Piszczek started the second half in place of Sarr with Großkreutz reverting to central defence but the pattern continued with BVB struggling to impose themselves on a tactically well-briefed Berlin side. BVB’s passing game was off the boil and so, all too often, moves were breaking down long before the ball arrived in the final third.

Hofmann, on as a substitute, tried his luck from some 25 yards out but Gersbeck stretched long to fingertip the ball around the post on 66 minutes. And so the Black n Yellows continued to search for a way through the visitors’ defences.

The introduction of Schieber on 77 minutes signalled Klopp’s last throw of the dice and Hertha now concentrated on all-out defence with every man fighting for the win. The final minutes of the game almost resembled a game of handball! But Hertha’s tactics were to prove successful with BVB failing to claw back a game they had led. In time added on, Sokratis had claims for a penalty waved away by referee Gagelmann and so it finished 1-2.

Teams & Goals

Bundesliga, Matchday 17
BORUSSIA DORTMUND – HERTHA BSC 1-2 (1-2)

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller – Großkreutz, Sokratis, Sarr, Durm – Sahin, Kehl – Blaszczykowski, Mkhitaryan, Reus - Lewandowski
Hertha BSC: Kraft - Ndjeng, Lustenberger, Kobiashvili, Pekarik - Hosogai - Allagui, Skjelbred, Cigerci, Schulz – Ramos
Substitutions: 46. Piszczek for Sarr, 56. Hofmann for Blaszczykowski, 77. Schieber for Kehl - 69. Niemeyer for Skjelbred, 78. Wagner for Ramos, 90. Janker for Cigerci
Goals: 1-0 Reus (7., Kehl), 1-1 Ramos (23., Allagui), 1-2 Allagui (45.),
Corners: 5-0 (HT 2-0), Chances: 4-3 (3-3)
Referee: Gagelmann (Bremen), Yellow cards: Sarr, Sahin - Cigerci, Kobiashvili, Hosogai
Attendance: 80,645 (sold out), Weather: cloudy, 6 degrees Celsius

Prospects:

The Bundesliga resumes on 25 January 2014