Top marks: BVB crossing king Julian Ryerson named player of the matchday | OneFootball

In the 4-0 victory over Mainz 05, Julian Ryerson set up all four of BVB's goals, all of which were scored directly or following a header. The reward for his outstanding performance is not only third place in the Bundesliga's assist rankings but also his first inclusion in the Kicker Team of the Week.

Julian Ryerson's crosses played a significant role in the fact that the press unanimously wrote about a "strong BVB", which at least on that Friday made the weeks of lackluster play forgotten. It was said in one medium that BVB perfectly copied the strategy from FC Arsenal of overloading the six-yard box with players during corners and free-kick crosses to limit the goalkeeper's freedom of movement.

Nevertheless, successful goals also require dangerously delivered crosses. And in this, Julian Ryerson proved himself not just on Friday, but especially then, as a master of his craft. He was crucially involved in a first in Borussia Dortmund's long Bundesliga history. Never before had BVB scored three header goals in one half. This time, this feat was achieved when Serhou Guirassy scored twice and Maximilian Beier once converted Ryerson's crosses with headers before the halftime whistle.

Photo: IMAGO

Ryerson Initiates BVB Club Record

For Kicker, Ryerson became both the player of the match Dortmund vs. Mainz and the entire Bundesliga matchday. The match report already spoke of the Norwegian's "assist show." In the reasoning for his selection as player of the matchday, a comparison is drawn with a crossing god from another era: David Beckham.

Twice his teammates were successful after precise corners from Ryerson, once after a free-kick, and in the case of Maximilian Beier's header goal, even after a cross from open play. Ryerson had already demonstrated his mastery of this throughout the season on numerous occasions. Thus, his number of assists after those four on Friday sums up to a total of eleven. This puts him third in the league. Only Michael Oliseh (18) and Luis Diaz (13) from FC Bayern have been more successful in this regard so far.

Additionally, Julian Ryerson is the first BVB player this season to be named "Player of the Matchday" by Kicker.

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