Player Ratings: Lackluster Borussia Dortmund beaten by rivals Schalke

Borussia Dortmund suffered a damaging defeat as Schalke scored two second half goals to win the Revierderby.

Yevhen Konoplyanka and Naldo scored to give Schalke a 2-0 victory and helped them open up a four point gap over their rivals. Borussia Dortmund have slipped down to forth and now face a tough fight to finish in the top four.

Here are the player ratings for Borussia Dortmund players from the game.

Roman Burki (6/10)

Made a superb low save in the first half to deny Schalke. But stood no chance for Konoplayanka’s goal. Naldo’s free kick passed him by in the blink of an eye as Schalke doubled their lead.

Lukasz Piszczek (5/10)

The Poland international was more interested in going forward than helping back defensively. His lack of pace meant that he was no match to Konoplayanka. An uncomfortable afternoon for Piszczek. Gave away three fouls, one of which earned him a yellow card.

Sokratis (3/10)

Sokratis’ poor positioning gave Konoplayanka the space to compose himself and give Schalke the lead. The Greek international was sloppy throughout the game and needed his defensive partner to clear up his mess quite a few times. Gave away the free kick which led to Naldo scoring Schalke’s second.

Omer Toprak (6/10)

Was decent compared to the rest of his teammates but had a tough time dealing with Schalke’s physicality. Burgstaller targeted him constantly. Made some good tackles, especially in the first half. It would have been a lot worse without him.

Marcel Schmelzer (2/10)

Schalke caused Dortmund a lot of trouble from Schmelzer’s flank. A poor touch from him early in the second half allowed Schalke to counter before Konoplyanka gave them the lead. His lack of pace let him and the team down once again. Not a good day for the Dortmund captain.

Mahmoud Dahoud (5/10)

Failed to have as much of an impact as he has had in recent games. Schalke dominated the midfield and the pairing of Dahoud and Sahin were quite easily overrun. He was taken off in the 80th minute as Stoger decided to bring on an extra attacking option in the form of Jadon Sancho.

Nuri Sahin (4/10)

Sahin’s lack of pace did not help as Schalke hurt Dortmund quite a few times on the break. Sahin could have done better to prevent the first goal. But he only jogged back as Caligiuri countered for Schalke. After a good performance last weekend, the Schalke midfield ran rings around him.

Maximillian Philipp (5/10)

Philipp was largely anonymous as Dortmund struggled to create any chances in the first half. Was replaced by Andre Schurrle at half time.

Marco Reus (5/10)

Came closest to giving Borussia Dortmund the lead in the first half as his freekick was well saved by Ralf Fahrmann. Had a decent chance in the second half, but hit his shot straight at the goalkeeper. Reus made some good runs behind the defense and was the most lively of Dortmund’s attackers. But it just wasn’t enough as the lack of end product let him and the team down.

Christian Pulisic (5/10)

Nothing seemed to come off for Pulisic as he struggled to break down the Schalke defense. His decision making at times, was questionable at best. Was marshaled well by Schalke’s defense and lacked the final product. He could have done better with his only chance of the game. But Reus’ cross had too much pace and he could not react in time to get a better touch.

Michy Batshuayi (4/10)

Worked very hard in the first half and had to come very deep at times to collect the ball. But as the game went on, his impact started to decrease. His teammates failed to provide him with any sort of service. To make matters worse for Dortmund, he was stretchered off right at the end of the game. Borussia Dortmund fans will be hoping that his injury isn’t too serious.

Substitutes

Andre Schurrle (4/10)

While the decision to bring off Maxi Philipp was justified, the decision to replace him with Schurrle was not. The German was poor and made the same sloppy mistakes he makes in every game. His crosses were either too short or too long. His future at Borussia Dortmund looks bleak at best.

Next: Longing for black and yellow Champions League nights

Jadon Sancho (N/R)

Replaced Mahmoud Dahoud with ten minutes to go and did not have enough time to make any sort of impact.

Mario Gotze (N/R)

Came on for Marcel Schmelzer in the 87th minute after Schalke scored their second. Probably should have started.