Match Report
From 0-2 to 4-2 – Great spirit in the Little Derby
Boris Rupert reporting
With 81,365 spectators watching on at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, the visitors from Castroper Straße took an early 2-0 lead thanks to a double blow from Bero (16) and de Wit (21). Guirassy pulled a goal back with a header shortly before the break. Can made it 2-2 from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute. Guirassy (75) and Nmecha (81) then fired the Black & Yellows to three points, which were highly deserved in view of the shot count of 23-9.
The scenario:
The Black & Yellows had won their previous four Bundesliga home games across seasons, while VfL had suffered defeat in their three most recent away matches. The two clubs were meeting in the Bundesliga for the 67th time (26 BVB wins, 23 draws and 17 defeats).
Personnel matters:
With the exception of Giovanni Reyna (back in training after a muscle injury), all first-team players were available. Head coach Nuri Sahin made three changes compared to the 5-1 defeat in Stuttgart last weekend, with Yan Couto, Emre Can and Jamie Gittens taking the places of Niklas Süle, Felix Nmecha (both bench) and the slightly injured Marcel Sabitzer.
Tactics:
BVB tried to keep their build-up play low and went about that in a 2-4-4 system with full-backs positioned high and wide. For long stretches, Bochum adopted a man-marking strategy.
The match & analysis:
BVB immediately took control on the freshly laid turf and played forward at speed but only managed to break through the Bochum rearguard on one occasion in the opening minutes, when Adeyemi met a Groß cross with a header from a central position in front of goal but was denied by Drewes (11). A piece of individual play from Brandt, a placed shot from 18 metres out, forced the Bochum goalkeeper to intervene once again. He turned it behind for a corner (14).
Dortmund were 4-1 ahead in the shot count when VfL struck for the first time. It was a straightforward counter. After a one-two with Hofmann, Bero was through in a centre-left position and fired the ball hard into the near corner (16). Kobel was under pressure to deal with a sharp backpass at medium height five minutes later and tried to dribble against Boadu, who used his arm. Kobel played the ball straight to the feet of de Wit, who was lurking on the edge of the box and fired into an empty net for 2-0.
BVB sought to correct the scoreline quickly but could not initially create clear-cut chances. Instead, VfL took a 7-4 lead in terms of shots on the 33-minute mark when Boadu went clean through on goal but fired narrowly to the left of the mark. But the team pulled themselves out of the mire amid the ongoing rainfall. They fought and put the opponent under pressure. A Gittens pass put Brandt in on goal but he fired the ball over the crossbar from the left corner of the six-yard box (39). A short while later, Guirassy missed a chance on the penalty spot. But Dortmund kept up the tempo: Couto found Brandt, whose precise cross from the right was headed in by Guirassy to make it 2-1 in the 44th minute. BVB now led 11-7 in terms of shots and 8-0 on corners but trailed 2-1 at the break.
The second half started with another major opportunity for BVB: Ryerson squared the ball from the left corner of the box to Groß, who forced Drewes into a third save of the game (50). But for the most part, the tempo of the build-up play was not high enough to undo the well-organised opposition. But then they managed it: The ball made its way via Gittens and Groß to Guirassy, who was brought down by Passlack in a centre-left position in the box – penalty! Can fired a placed effort high into the net (62). Substitute Broschinski almost immediately made it 3-2, only for Kobel to save!
BVB made a triple substitution in the 74th minute, with Brandt, Groß and the injured Ryerson replaced by Beier, Nmecha and Bensebaini; Duranville had come on for the struggling Gittens shortly beforehand. Guirassy laid off a long ball from his own half to Adeyemi, who took a few steps before threading the ball back into the path of Guirassy, who came out on top in the sprint and fired the ball through the legs of Drewes from a centre-left position to make it 3-2 (75). Shortly afterwards, Adeyemi kept the ball in play in his own half, sprinted down the line and decided – rather than playing a long ball towards the sprinting Duranville – to pass to Nmecha, who shot from 18 metres out and beat the unfortunate Drewes (81). Duranville (83), Can (post, 88) and Süle (89) could have increased the margin of victory even further.
Outlook:
The campaign will continue with a Champions League home game against Celtic on Tuesday. Borussia Dortmund will then be away to Union Berlin the following Saturday.
Teams & goals
Bundesliga Matchday 5
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 4-2 (1-2) VFL BOCHUM
Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Couto (Süle, 82), Anton, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson (Bensebaini, 74) – Can, Groß (Nmecha, 74) – Adeyemi, Brandt (Beier, 74), Gittens (Duranville, 66) – Guirassy
VfL Bochum: Drewes – Passlack, Oermann, Medic, Wittek – Losilla, Sissoko (Kwarteng, 82), Bero (Baldé, 82) – de Wit – Hofmann (Miyoshi, 72), Boadu (Broschinski, 62)
Substitutes: Meyer, Malen, Wätjen – Horn, Gamboa, Loosli, Pannewig, Bamba
Goals: 0-1 Bero (Hofmann, 16), 0-2 de Wit (21), 1-2 Guirassy (Brandt, 44), 2-2 Can (foul by Passlack on Guirassy, 62), 3-2 Guirassy (Adeyemi, 75), 4-2 Nmecha (Adeyemi, 81)
Corners: 11-0 (8-0 at half-time), chance ratio: 11-4 (4-3)
Referee: Dr. Brych (Munich), yellow cards: Groß
Attendance: 81,365 (sold-out), weather: rainy, 12 degrees