Borussia Dortmund 4-1 RB Leipzig: Match Analysis

Borussia Dortmund enjoyed a comfortable 4-1 win at home in their first match of the 2018/2019 Bundesliga campaign against RB Leipzig. Here is the match analysis.

Line-up

BVB (4-3-3):  Bürki – Piszczek, Akanji, Diallo, Schmelzer – Delaney, Witsel, Dahoud – Pulisic, Philipp, Reus

Kick-off in Dortmund! The moment we have all been waiting for had finally arrived. And only thirty seconds later… TOR for Leipzig. All of a sudden, harsh flashbacks of the 2014/2015 season opener came to mind: Bayer Leverkusen’s Karim Bellarabi strikes and scores some seconds into the match. It seemed as if history was making a comeback to haunt Dortmund. Only this time around, the boys regained consciousness from an early blow.

Dortmund’s midfield trio of Mahmoud Dahoud, plus newcomers Axel Witsel and Thomas Delaney began delivering the goods as the Black and Yellows started to get into the game. Right after their goal, Leipzig applied high-pressure on the hosts. Their efforts didn’t last long as they quickly ran out of air in addition to Delaney’s and Witsel’s defensive prowess. After twenty-one minutes, Mahmoud Dahoud scored the equalizer for Dortmund from a precise Marcel Schmelzer cross.

For the most part of the first half, Leipzig struggled to find ways to harm Dortmund. Most of their attacks only showed progress through our right flank. Łukasz Piszczek failed to establish himself in the area. The Polish international’s poor positioning granted Jean-Kévin Augustin a clear goal scoring opportunity only to be denied by a superb Roman Bürki.

Fortunately for Dortmund, an own goal from Marcel Sabitzer, followed by Axel Witsel’s bicycle kick sent ‘Die Schwarzgelben’  up front on the scoreline 3:1 at halftime. On the second half, Dortmund’s composure was still solid. Leipzig had some chances but was not as assertive as their opposition. The final knockout blow was given by captain Marco Reus. An interception from Mahmoud Dahoud led to him finding Jadon Sancho on the left wing who then assisted Reus in his 100th Bundesliga goal.

Man of the Match

It is a tough contest, but hands down. The MOTM award goes to Axel Witsel. Dortmund’s new summer signing is ON FIRE! His technical ability and experience make him the perfect asset to our midfield. Witsel proved this in last Monday’s cup tie against Fürth when he scored the all-important equalizer, now it was time for him to make his league debut. He delivered. A stunning performance and his bicycle-kick goal allowed Dortmund to come back from behind and collect all three points. Imagine how good he will be when he gets some game under his belt.

Conclusion

A solid win for Borussia Dortmund in the end. Despite conceding in the initial seconds of the match, Lucien Favre’s men once again responded to adversity and found the victory. Improvements must be made to the defense and their coordination. Only time and more matches will help improve this situation.

There is a lot of potential to the Akanji-Diallo partnership and it will most certainly flourish under Favre. Players like Mahmoud Dahoud, Christian Pulisic, Jadon Sancho, and many more are expected to further expand their abilities this season. The panorama looks clear for Borussia Dortmund. HEJA BVB!