Borussia Dortmund: Player ratings from hard fought win against Augsburg

AUGSBURG, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 30: Andrey Yarmolenko of Borussia Dortmund cheers after scoring his team's 1th goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund at WWK-Arena on September 30, 2017 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images)
AUGSBURG, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 30: Andrey Yarmolenko of Borussia Dortmund cheers after scoring his team's 1th goal during the Bundesliga match between FC Augsburg and Borussia Dortmund at WWK-Arena on September 30, 2017 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images) /
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Borussia Dortmund edged past FC Augsburg 2-1 to extend their unbeaten run in the league to 7 matches. Here are the player ratings for Peter Bosz’ side from the game.

Roman Bürki (8/10)

It was a strong performance from Bürki. In addition to making a number of difficult saves, his high positioning when Dortmund lost possession helped prevent a couple of Augsburg chances.

Jeremy Toljan (5/10)

It was a tough day for young Toljan. He received a yellow card for a silly foul and made a couple of defensive and positioning errors. He had some solid plays defensively as well, but it wasn’t the best of outings for the makeshift left back.

Marc Bartra (6/10)

The blame for Augsburg’s first goal falls squarely on Bartra’s shoulders, as his poor marking in the box gave Caiuby a free header. After that, he mostly stepped up his game. He was sharper defensively and had some creative long balls that created chances for Dortmund (one of which gifted Aubameyang a one-on-one with the Augsburg keeper).

Sokratis Papastathopoulos (7/10)

Sokratis’ physical defense in the box at the very beginning of the game could’ve cost Dortmund an early penalty. But he was lucky, and went on to have a solid game defensively, as Augsburg attacked Dortmund repeatedly in the second half.

Łukasz Piszczek (6/10)

By and large, Piszczek played well. He overlapped with Yarmolenko and whipped a couple of dangerous crosses into the box. While he hasn’t had the best start to the season defensively, he looked more solid tonight.

Julian Weigl (6/10)

Weigl had a 76% pass rate, per WhoScored.com, surely below his lofty standards. His lack of involvement when Dortmund were in possession contributed to the ugly play the team exhibited in the second half. Dortmund needs him back to his top form.

Shinji Kagawa (7/10)

Kagawa had a perfect chip over the Augsburg keeper for the winner tonight. It was easily one of the best goals you’ll see all season. He continued to be creative throughout the first half. Unfortunately, he and the rest of the Dortmund midfield failed to get anything going in the second half.

Mahmoud Dahoud (6/10)

Like Kagawa, Dahoud looked solid, even dangerous, in the first half. He had some good passes and one or two tackles, but the whole team seemed to shut up shop for the final 45 minutes.

Andriy Yarmolenko (8/10)

Yarmolenko was probably the best player on the pitch until he came off. His backheel for Dortmund’s first goal was lovely, as was his simple assist for Kagawa’s. I had my doubts when Dortmund signed him, but Yarmolenko has proved me wrong, and has taken Dortmund by storm.

Christian Pulisic (6/10)

Pulisic was the only offensive player who looked better in the first half than he did in the second, probably because Yarmolenko came off. He’s clearly more comfortable playing on the right wing than on the left. Honestly, it was still a weak performance from him. His decision making this season hasn’t been all that great, and while there are flashes of dribbling brilliance, he’s still too selfish on the ball.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (4/10)

It was a brutal evening for Aubameyang. He whiffed a one-on-one with the keeper in the first half and missed a penalty in the second. The redeeming part of this game for him was that his pressing of the Augsburg defense led to Kagawa’s gorgeous chip.

Gonzalo Castro (5/10)

Castro barely touched the ball after he came on. Not much to say.

Maximillian Phillip and Ömer Toprak: Not Rated