FSV Mainz 05 0-2 Borussia Dortmund: Stoger debut sees BVB ended winless streak

Borussia Dortmund finally ended their winless run with a 2-0 win against Mainz.

Borussia Dortmund were up against 14th place, Mainz 05 in their midweek Bundesliga clash, Peter Stöger’s debut match for the Black and Yellows. The new boss first task was to break the 9-match winless streak and bring some happiness to the fans.

Starting XI

Bürki; Toljan, Sokratis, Toprak, Schmelzer; Weigl, Guerreiro; Pulisic, Kagawa, Yarmolenko; Aubameyang

Stoger’s first line up saw two changes from the side that played against Werder Bremen. Toljan and Toprak were brought in for Bartra and Subotic respectively. The midfield and attack department remained same for the away fixture.

First Half

Dortmund started the game on the front foot and enjoyed most of the possession in the opening minutes. But Mainz managed to find the first chances of the match. In the 7th minute, Suat Serdar’s shot from outside the box hit the crossbar. The midfielder then broke into the Dortmund defence but his shot flew wide.

In the 19th minute, Borussia Dortmund got their first chance at goal but Aubameyang’s audacious shot from the corner failed to test the Mainz keeper. The match then entered a stagnant phase as both teams tried to instil dominance. There were a couple of shots taken from both sides but nothing threating.

In the 41st minute, Julian Weigl managed to release Aubameyang with a brilliant through ball. But the Gabonese International hurried his shot and missed the target. In the dying minutes, Guerreiro swung a shot from outside the Mainz box but Zentner’s fingertip-save meant we entered half-time at 0-0.

Second Half

The Black and Yellows were out there to find the first goal of the match. In the 50th minute, Pulisic managed to take a swipe at Mainz’s goal but was too high from the target. Dortmund kept bombarding the Mainz defence and were finally rewarded.

Toprak’s initial header hit the post from Kagawa’s free-kick. The ball fell perfectly to Sokratis and the Greece International made no mistake and calmly put the ball in the back of the net to give Borussia Dortmund the lead.

MAINZ, GERMANY – DECEMBER 12: Sokratis /

Mainz came into the match after the goal. A sustained period of possession was followed by a couple of attacks, but the defence stood tall. The home side came close from a corner but Burki managed to pull off a save. In the 73rd minute, Diallo from Mainz won the ball in the Dortmund box but put his shot wide of the post.

Peter Stöger brought in Dahoud for Pulisic to gain control of the match. The forwards, Yarmelenko and Aubameyang linked up well and release Kagawa in the box. But the Japanese midfielder only managed to shoot straight at the goalkeeper Robin Zentner when it looked easier to score.

More from BVB Buzz

The last 5 minutes of the second half proved to be lively as the first. Dahoud got into a promising position but teed off his shot wide of goal. In the 89th minute, Aubameyang had a wonderful opportunity to score. But he overdid his moves and later get managed to pass the ball the Kagawa. The 28-year old was not going to miss this time and scored his 4th goal of the season.

Dahoud then got an opportunity to make it 3-0, pretty much easier than the earlier one. But the German midfielder smashed straight towards the keeper. The referee finally blew the whistle and the game ended 2-0.

Conclusion

Peter Stöger managed to open his account with a win for the Black and Yellows. The victory was not a convincing one and the players still seemed to be a bit shy of confidence. Nevertheless, Borussia Dortmund got the three points and jumped up to 4th position on the table.

Home/Borussia Dortmund News