BVB overcome Bremen 3-0 in close game | OneFootball

Personnel mattersThe BVB starting line-up featured three changes from the 3-3 draw in Frankfurt: Carney Chukwuemeka, Yan Couto and Fabio Silva replaced Julian Brandt, Daniel Svensson and Guirassy (all on the bench). Julian Ryerson moved from the right to the left side of Dortmund's 3-4-2-1 formation to replace Svensson in the back four. Jobe Bellingham was back in the squad after serving his suspension, while Ramy Bensebaini was absent after returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.

The matchIn a balanced first half, Borussia, who didn't always take good care of the ball, took advantage of their first (and only) chance to take the lead: Schlotterbeck headed Ryerson's delivery from a corner into the net from close range in the 11th minute to open up a 1-0 lead. The first two shots of the game were taken by the visitors, who were confident on the ball and lined up in a 3-5-2 formation. Njinmah, who returned to Bremen two-and-a-half years ago after a loan spell with Dortmund's U23s, found himself one-on-one with Kobel in the 18th minute after racing clear from the halfway line, but the keeper made his second brilliant save of the game to prevent the visitors from equalising.

The Black & Yellows lacked dynamism and pace in the first half against a well-organised opponent who pushed forward courageously every time they won the ball. Although the statistics at half-time showed Dortmund had had five shots compared to three for Bremen, albeit the visitors were 2-1 ahead in terms of clear chances.

Can came on after the break to replace Süle, who had been booked, and provided more defensive stability for BVB. However, with the exception of one scene in the 55th minute, there was little improvement in terms of mobility, agility or determination going forward: goalkeeper Backhaus and defender Pieper foiled attempts from Beier one after the other. And so, after an hour, further changes were made from the bench – Guirassy, Bellingham and Svensson replaced Beier, Chukwuemeka and Ryerson (67) – and with them a new formation: Sabitzer moved significantly further forward in a 3-5-2 and operated on the right behind the strike duo of Fabio Silva and Guirassy.

And he soon found the back of the net! With a quarter of an hour to go, the Black & Yellows finally had a sustained spell of possession in the opposition's half. The ball found its way to Sabitzer via Schlotterbeck, Svensson and Nmecha, and he took a touch on the edge of the box before sending a low shot into the bottom-left corner of the net to make it 2-0 (76). Shortly afterwards, Bellingham put Pieper under pressure in build-up, the ball fell to Guirassy, who kept his cool from 12 metres out and slotted home to make it 3-0 (83).

OutlookThe next home match is coming up on Saturday (kick-off 15:30 CET, live on Sky), when FC St. Pauli will be the visitors at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.Boris Rupert

Borussia Dortmund 3–0 (1-0) Werder Bremen

Bundesliga, Matchday 17 

Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Süle (46, Can), Anton, Schlotterbeck – Couto, Sabitzer, Nmecha, Ryerson (67, Svensson) – Beier (67, Guirassy), Chukwuemeka (67, Bellingham) – Fabio Silva (84, Adeyemi)Substitutes: Meyer, Mane, Brandt, ÖzcanWerder Bremen: Backhaus – Pieper, Friedl, Coulibaly – Sugawara, Lynen, Schmidt (81, Deman) – Schmid (81, Puertas), Stage – Njinmah (81, Mbangula), Grüll (69, Milosevic)Substitutes: Hein, Malatini, Alvero, Covic, ToppGoals: 1-0 Schlotterbeck (11, corner, Ryerson), 2-0 Sabitzer (76, Nmecha), 3:0 Guirassy (83, Bellingham)Bookings: Süle, SabitzerReferee: Siebert (Berlin)Attendance: 81,365 (sold-out) in SIGNAL IDUNA PARK