Clinical Borussia celebrate 4-0 win over Villarreal after slow start | OneFootball

Out of nowhere, Guirassy headed BVB into the lead in stoppage time at the end of the first half. The visitors from Spain had been the more composed team up to that point in front of 81,365 spectators at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. Nine minutes after the restart, and following a lengthy VAR review that resulted in a red card for Villarreal's Foyth, Guirassy scored on the rebound after having the penalty saved to make it 2-0. Adeyemi quickly added a third to seal the win after a great assist from Brandt (58). Fabio Silva missed a penalty in the 82nd minute. But Daniel Svensson scored in added time to make it 4-0.

The scenario:Borussia Dortmund were in 14th place at the halfway stage of the league phase (four of eight matchdays played), after two wins, one draw and one defeat (seven points, 13 goals scored and 11 conceded). Villarreal were one of eight clubs still without a win and sat in 32nd place in the table. It was BVB's 46th encounter with a Spanish opponent – they had lost only one of their previous eight home games against La Liga sides – but their first ever competitive meeting with Villareal.

Personnel matters:  BVB came into the match without Maximilian Beier (muscle strain), Salih Özcan (not registered) and Niklas Süle (toe problems). Anselmino, Couto, Sabitzer, Svensson and Adeyemi were new additions to the squad compared to the 3-3 draw with Stuttgart three days ago.

Tactics:  Kovac set up his team in the usual 3-4-2-1 formation. When in possession, the wingers Couto and Svensson pushed far forward and often moved inside. Then, forming a 3-2-5, Borussia worked on breaking down their opponents' tightly packed defence. There was little space between the opponent's two rows of four. Diagonal balls from Schlotterbeck to Adeyemi, who was closely marked, often by two players, were aimed at opening up the defence. Villarreal, playing in a staggered 4-4-2 formation, looked to play football and progress up the pitch with the ball, while out of possession they operated an intense high press which caused problems for the Black & Yellows on multiple occasions.

The match & analysis:BVB moved the ball well in the early stages, dominating possession from the start, albeit without generating any clear-cut chances. Villarreal began to venture out of their own half after ten minutes, immediately posing a threat to Borussia. Buchanan got the ball over the line, but the linesman raised his flag to signal that he was offside when Thomas took his shot (11).

Villarreal subsequently demonstrated why they are third in Spain's La Liga (two points behind Barça, three behind Real Madrid). Their defence was rock solid, their attacking play looked composed, and their set pieces were well rehearsed. On two occasions they caught BVB unaware: first in the 31st minute after a free kick from 17 metres, albeit from a tight angle. Everyone expected a direct shot. Instead, the ball was squared to Gueye, who shot just over the bar from 14 metres. And Dortmund? It wasn't a typical BVB home game up to that point. There were few ideas, no pressure, just static, slow build-up play, lots of careless losses of possession, problems with ball control and timid dribbling.

Nevertheless, BVB went into the break with a lead. After just one minute of added time, there was another corner, the third. Svensson took the corner. In the scramble on the left side of the six-yard box, Anton got to the ball and laid it back to Anselmino. As he fell, the centre-back lifted the ball high into the middle, where Guirassy jumped higher than everyone else and headed home to make it 1-0.

Villarreal opened the second half with a determined attack via Buchanan and Cardona. But Svensson was on hand to clear the danger (47). Three minutes later, Guirassy opened up the play with a header to Brandt on the halfway line. Brandt carried the ball towards the penalty area and slipped a pass to Nmecha. His shot was blocked, rebounded to Adeyemi, who shot straight away. Centre-back Foyth cleared the ball off the goal line with his arm. Referee Massa awarded a penalty and gave him a yellow card. The VAR intervened: Massa went to the screen and revised one of the two decisions: pulling out the red card instead (53). Guirassy took the penalty, but shot too centrally. Luiz Junior blocked with his foot, but the ball rebounded straight to the taker, who fired the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-0 (54).

The Black & Yellows then regained their confidence and self-belief. Nmecha opened up the play in the centre and passed to Adeyemi. He cut inside from the right and played a one-two with Brandt, who brilliantly backheeled the ball back to Adeyemi. Thomas got to the ball before him, but his clearance hit the Borussia player. The ball flew into the net in a high arc on the left (58). Adeyemi almost grabbed a second goal as well, but Luiz Junior just managed to parry his shot from a tight angle (68). Substitute Fabio Silva could have made it 4-0 after Cardona fouled Adeyemi, but his penalty thundered against the crossbar (82). In stoppage time, Svensson headed in a cross from Gross to make it 4-0.

Outlook:BVB's Champions League campaign continues in two weeks with another home game. Their opponents on 10 December (21:00 CET) are Bodø/Glimt from Norway. Domestically, Borussia now face Bayer Leverkusen twice in a row: away at the BayArena in the Bundesliga on Saturday (18:30 CET) and in the DFB-Pokal at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK on Tuesday (21:00 CET).Boris Rupert

Teams & goals

UEFA Champions League, Matchday 5Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 21:00 CET

Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Anselminio, Anton (84, Can), Schlotterbeck – Couto, Nmecha (77, Bellingham), Sabitzer (77, Gross), Svensson – Brandt (68, Chukwuemeka), Adeyemi – Guirassy (68, Fabio Silva)Villarreal: Luiz Junior – Mourino (83, Akhomach), Foyth, Renato Veiga, Cardona – Santi (74, Parejo), Gueye, Thomas (65, Rafa Marin), Buchanan (83, Navarro) – Pepé (65, Moleiro), OluwaseyiSubstitutes: Meyer, Ostrzinski; Bensebaini, Mane, Ryerson, Campbell, Duranville – Tenas; Adria Alti, Alfonso Pedraza, Ayoze, Gerard, Mikautadze, Solomon Goals: 1-0 Guirassy (45+2, Anselmino), 2-0 Guirassy (54., penalty rebound), 3-0 Adeyemi (58. Brandt), 4-0 Svensson (90+5, Gross)Corners: 3-2 (3-1 at half-time), chance ratio: 6-2 (1-1)Referee: Massa (Italy), notable incidents: Fabio Silva strikes the bar from penalty (Cardona foul on Adeyemi, 82), Red card: Foyth (53., handball on the goalline), bookings: AdeyemiAttendance: 81,365 (sold-out), weather: rainy, 3 degrees celsius