Match Review: Gutless Borussia Dortmund stunned by RB Salzburg
By Oliver Campo
Borussia Dortmund failed to make use of the home advantage in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round of 16 tie against Salzburg, tasting a 2-1 defeat. The result means BVB must score at least twice in the away leg next week. It is a feat that a number of fans don’t believe in.
Somehow despite Salzburg being minnows, the result does not come as a surprise. Borussia Dortmund were abject and flat and hardly mustered any chances to threaten their opponents. It was a lifeless performance by the Black and Yellows and it leaves them with a lot of work to do heading into next week’s return leg.
Pessimism was in the air an hour before the match kicked off as Peter Stoger went with Gonzalo Castro at right back. And once again, he failed to rotate his forward players, as tiredness was evident right from the get go.
First Half
The first leg started on a bad leg as the opening pass from BVB was kicked out-of-bounds. From there, a slow and shameful performance continued to drag on for the next 45 minutes. Schurrle did not find the back of the net or teammates with the chances presented to him. Compound Schurrle’s opening 15 minutes with the disastrous team play and its a recipe for failure.
Defense and offense for Borussia Dortmund need a boost in more ways than one if this match is a good example. BVB acquired the right players for the team, but fans are not impressed.
The first half carried a methodical pace that repeated similar pattern. Get the ball to the back line or Burki and run the ball up the wings once past half field. The strategy did not work the first 30 minutes, or most of the match.
Moments of the ball moving through the middle for Dortmund saw Salzburg in danger. Michy Batshuayi and André Schurrle found little luck in terms of a scoring touch. Every chance brought against Salzburg sailed wide or was quickly killed.
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The defensive line and Roman Burki got lucky far too many times when Salzburg attempted counterattacks. As the half drew to a close, the players for Borussia Dortmund seemingly gave up on playing football.
Salzburg had a shot cleared off the line and hit the post in the closing minutes of the half, and Dortmund were lucky not to be behind.
The fans were not impressed by this and it showed with the jeers after it was over.
Second Half
Early in the second half, Borussia Dortmund appeared to find an attacking part to the match. If not for Omer Toprak, the momentum starting the half could have continued. Toprak’s tug on Hee-Chan Hwang led to a penalty against the home side. The defender received a yellow card for his troubles.
BVB brought attacking pressure without the ability to find a finish. Salzburg then struck again on the counterattack and BVB were down two goals. Instead of digging deep to close the gap, Schmelzer protested the goal because he got blocked to the ground. Stöger did bring off Batshuayi and Gotze for Pulisic and Philipp soon after.
Pulisic sent a good ball into the box and Schurrle scrapped it in the back of the net to give Dortmund a chance. Unfortunately, Salzburg controlled the rest of the match in Dortmund. It was sad to see as Borussia Dortmund found plenty of chances throughout the match.
André Schurrle also got a yellow card for a slide tackle during the half. The motivation of players continued to disappear as more chances failed to create an equalizer.
Parting thought
Peter Stöger started Gonzalo Castro in right back over Jeremy Toljan, Dan-Axel Zagadou, and Raphael Guerreiro. Stöger also lets Castro play the full game, and Castro is not confident at right back. It is beyond me why Stöger did not use a defensive sub for Castro.