4-2 – BVB move out of relegation zone in spectacular fashion

In front of a 80,300 crowd at Signal Iduna Park, BVB fell behind after just 53 seconds through a goal from Soto. After wasting a hatful of chances in the first half, the Black and Yellows then made the most of their opportunities after the break with Subotic, Reus, Aubameyang and Sahin finding the net for the home side to score four goals for the first time this season.

The Scenario:

BVB went into the match on a high following their convincing 3-0 win at Freiburg last weekend, while Mainz had only won one of their previous 12 matches in the Bundesliga. Borussia were eager to improve their home form as they had only won three at Signal Iduna Park this season while losing four. Head to head, however, BVB had the edge, winning eight of the 18 matches in the Bundesliga against Mainz, drawing six and losing three. The Black and Yellows also had a score to settle after losing the first fixture this season 2-0 at Mainz.

Personnel Matters:

Jürgen Klopp was without Durm, Blaszczykowski and Hummels (all sick) as well as the injured Kehl and Bender. Sokratis replaced Hummels in central defence in the only change to last week’s win at Freiburg. Mainz coach Kasper Hjulmand had to do without his suspended Karius, with Kapino replacing him in goal, while Moritz and Nedelev were also not available.

Tactics:

Borussia Dortmund lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Kampl, Kagawa and Reus occupying the three attacking midfield positions. Mainz set up in a 4-3-2-1, with Soto coming into the team to play in a defensiverole, with Geis and Baumgartlinger playing alongside him in midfield. When Borussia were in possession, Mainz’s attacking wingers Malli and Hofmann pulled back deep into their own half.

The Game & Analysis:

BVB got off to a poor start and fell behind after just 53 seconds when Subotic misjudged a cross to Okazaki in the box to force Weidenfeller to fist the ball away. The BVB goalkeeper collided with a defender in the process, allowing Soto to grab the opportunity to lob the ball over the keeper from 20 yards, with Schmelzer failing to clear off the line in a last-ditch effort. The start to the game couldn’t have been any worse for Borussia…

But the Black and Yellows were not rattled by the setback, and created their first chance a minute later when Reus fired a shot from the right of the box to hit the post, with Kagawa latching on to the rebound but he effort was brilliantly saved by Kapino.

BVB kept on pushing forward and created further chances. In the 7th minute, Aubameyang ran clear on goal before drawing another smart save from the Mainz goalkeeper with a curling effort. A minute later Schmelzer picked out Sahin in the box whose header was again well saved by Kapino.

Despite missing these early opportunities, the Black and Yellows kept their heads up and continued to dominate possession (57 percent in the opening 30 minutes). After 30 minutes, Aubameyang was send through by Gündogan only to be, so it seemed, pulled down by Bengtsson inside the box, but the referee Stieler rightly ignored claims for a penalty. Kagawa then broke into the box from the right before laying the ball out to Reus whose effort from 14 yards went wide. In the closing stages of the first hallf, Reus curled a free-kick from 20 yards on target only for Kapino to save again. The ball, however, fell straight at the feet of Kagawa who blasted his shot just inches wide of the post, with Kampl having the last chance of the half.

The first 12 minutes of the second half then had everything you could ever want in a football game! First, Aubameyang picked out Kagawa in the box who then tried to push the ball on to Reus in the centre only for Bungert to clear the ball for a corner. Schmelzer whipped it in to find Subotic who rose higher than Bengtsson to head home into the bottom left corner to make it 1-1 (50’).

A few minutes later, Kampl took a pass from Sokratis in midfield before producing a sublime pass to Reus to run clear on goal and Borussia’s No.11 made no mistake and rounded the Mainz keeper to steer home from a tight angle. BVB needed just 10 minutes to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead but the joy was short-lived when Malli made space for himself with a swift turn away from Schmelzer at the edge of the box before firing home from 16 yards to make it 2-2 (57’).

Aubameyang went close with a bicycle kick on 63 minutes, while Kagawa saw an effort from 18 yards just miss the right post (67’). Borussia kept on pushing, and they were eventually rewarded for their dedication when Reus carved open the Mainz defence with a sublime threaded pass to Aubameyang who got the ball under control in a brilliant fashion before sliding it past the on-rushing Kapino into the net while falling to the ground. The Black and Yellows were back in front! And this time they held on to their lead, and even managed to double it in the 78th minute when Aubameyang tested Kapino with a free-kick and Sahin was quickest to react to the rebound to tap home from close range. The last chance of the match fell to Mainz but Weidenfeller was on hand to deny a shot from De Blasis.

Teams & Goals

Bundesliga, Matchday 21
BORUSSIA DORTMUND – 1. FSV MAINZ 05 4-2 (0-1)

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller – Piszczek, Subotic, Sokratis, Schmelzer – Sahin, Gündogan  – Kampl, Kagawa, Reus – Aubameyang
1. FSV Mainz 05: Kapino - Brosinski, Bell, Bungert, Bengtsson - Soto, Geis, Baumgartlinger - Malli, Hofmann – Okazaki
Substitutions: 70. Mkhitaryan for Kampl, 78. Ginter for Kagawa, 84. Ramos for Reus - 55. Koo for Hofmann, 78. Clemens for Soto, 82. de Blasis for Okazaki
Goals: 0-1 Soto (1.), 1-1 Subotic (50., corner Schmelzer), 2-1 Reus (55., Kampl), 2-2 Malli (57., Soto), 3-2 Aubameyang (78., Reus), 4-2 Sahin (78.)
Corners: 7-3 (HT 4-3), Chances: 10-3(4-1)

Prospects:

BVB’s next Bundesliga match is also scheduled on a Friday when they travel to VfB Stuttgart (20 February; kick-off 2030 CET). Four days later the Black and Yellows then travel to Torino to play Juventus in the Champions League.