Not pretty but vital: BVB battle past Gladbach to claim victory | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund heads into the Christmas break with a victory. Brandt in the tenth minute and Beier in injury time (90.+7) secured a hard-fought 2-0 (1-0) win against their namesakes from Mönchengladbach.

BVB coach Kovač made five changes to his starting lineup. Compared to the 1-1 draw at SC Freiburg, Süle, Groß, Svensson, Adeyemi, and Brandt replaced Yan Couto, Chukwuemeka, Fábio Silva (all on the bench), Bensebaini (Africa Cup), and Bellingham (suspension) in the team.

Dortmund tried to prevent the visitors from getting into the game with high pressing. They succeeded quite well, as shown in the tenth minute. Süle delivered a cross from the right side into the Gladbach penalty area. At the far post, Brandt took the ball directly and left Nicolas with no chance from a few meters out.

The BVB carried the momentum of the early lead and continued to apply pressure. With almost 70 percent possession, the Black and Yellows were the dominant team. Adeyemi had the 2-0 at his feet in the 29th minute. Svensson played the ball across in the Gladbach penalty area. After a detour, it landed at the winger's feet, but he failed to beat Nicolas from about seven meters.

After half an hour, the team from the Lower Rhine woke up. Süle, who is likely to leave Dortmund next summer, was alert twice. First, he held his ground against Tabaković, then he blocked a shot from Neuhaus (37th). Subsequently, Kobel saved a shot from Reitz (40th).

Beier with late relief

The second half began rather erratically. The duels and minor fouls increased.

In the 55th minute, the ball was in the visitors' net for the second time. However, Guirassy was offside with his header. Nicolas prevented the 2-0 for BVB again just three minutes after this scene. Diks, during a clearance, shot the onrushing Adeyemi. The Gladbach goalkeeper just managed to tip the ball over the crossbar with his fingertips.

Excitement in the 72nd minute. Elvedi hit Beier on the foot in the penalty area. However, referee Jablonski did not deem the action sufficient for a penalty. The VAR did not intervene.

The Foal team had not appeared in front of Kobel for a long time. The newly substituted Mohya tested Dortmund's number one with a hard shot from a tight angle (81st).

The match remained exciting due to the close scoreline. Beier could have relieved the Black and Yellows. On a counterattack, he ran alone towards Nicolas. However, the guest goalkeeper held his low shot firmly (89th).

Mönchengladbach tried to equalize in the closing stages. However, their offensive efforts did not decisively penetrate the Dortmund penalty area.

In contrast, BVB added another goal deep in injury time. Süle won the ball, which went via Yan Couto and Fábio Silva to Beier. This time he kept his composure and outsmarted Nicolas for the 2-0 final score (90.+7).

Photo: Getty Images

Conclusion: BVB dominated the first half-hour and deservedly took the lead. Then Gladbach also participated in the game and created dangerous actions. After the break, a hard-fought and erratic match with numerous minor fouls unfolded. The visitors were too harmless in attack to snatch the victory from Dortmund.

BVB: Kobel – Süle, Can, Schlotterbeck – Ryerson (82. Yan Couto), Nmecha, Groß (71. Sabitzer), Svensson – Adeyemi (60. Beier), Brandt (71. Chukwuemeka) – Guirassy (82. Fábio Silva)

BMG: Nicolas – Sander (80. Machino), Elvedi, Diks – Scally, Reitz, Engelhardt (80. Mohya), Netz – Neuhaus (80. Stöger), Reyna (65. Ranos) – Tabaković

Goals: 1-0 Brandt (10th), 2-0 Beier (90.+7)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.