Match Recap: Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Frankfurt; Batshuayi nets last second winner for BVB
Borussia Dortmund were lucky winners against Eintracht Frankfurt on match day 26. Michy Batshuayi had to come to the rescue twice after being brought on to ensure 3 points for Dortmund.
What started out as a solid first half turned into another disappointing performance from Borussia Dortmund as mental lapses almost cost them points once again.
Borussia Dortmund welcomed back Maximilian Philipp and Christian Pulisic to the starting XI this week – Philipp back from an injury and Pulisic desperate to find his form after a few tough weeks. In the first half, Borussia Dortmund finally looked like they were in control. No defensive scares, other than a Burki hesitation in possession early on. They were counter-attacking proficiently, as evident by Dortmund’s first goal. Great pressing by Omer Toprak forced a turnover and Dahoud found Pulisic in acres of space out wide, who tried to square the ball to Marco Reus. Marco Russ, the Frankfurt defender in a desperation slide, ended up putting the ball into his own net. 1-0 Dortmund.
The remainder of the first half was very back and forth, but neither team had a ton of great scoring opportunities. Dortmund carried most of the play aside from the final 10 minutes. Even then, there were clear signs for optimism as it seemed like Dortmund were back to playing football.
Unfortunately, Dahoud was brought off at half time as he was on a yellow card. The first half had been the best showing for Dahoud in a while. His dribbling in tight spaces as well as creating and using the space around him was on display.
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At the start of the second half, Dortmund had multiple opportunities to put the game away on the counter. Schurrle had trouble converting crucial passes – one clear two on one with Michy Batshuayi was the biggest missed opportunity. Then the other way around, Michy taking a shot from a tough angle with Schurrle wide open at the back post. Aside from those chances, Dortmund were sloppy and individual errors led to two Frankfurt goals. The first, Schmelzer entirely left his man on a set piece and Jovic was unmarked for an easy header past Burki. The second Frankfurt goal was also entirely avoidable. Frankfurt sent in a low cross that made it all the way to the back post where Lukasz Piszczek was asleep and allowed Danny Blum to sneak in from behind for a tap-in.
Michy Batshuayi was the saviour in this match, scoring two beautiful goals to push the black and yellows ahead, the second one coming in the last minute of added time to seal the win. The first goal was a great combination play between Michy and Pulisic using a give and go to create space and pull the Frankfurt Defence apart. The second was an exceptional thumping volley, Piszczek redeeming himself by finding Batshuayi near the top of the 18 yard box to slot home.
A couple of personal notes – Pulisic had a solid game and hopefully is on his way back to delivering consistent performances as he will definitely be needed. Julian Weigl looked shaky once again after coming on at halftime. He is going through a bad bit of form right now and needs to sort that out if Dortmund are to be successful. Castro had a rare “good Castro” appearance today as he actually carried the midfield in the second half once Dahoud was taken off.
Next up, trip to RB Salzburg to hopefully right the ship in the Europa League.