Player Ratings: Borussia Dortmund held to goalless draw by Hannover

Borussia Dortmund were far from their best as they played out a goalless draw away to Hannover 96.

The home side dominated possession and looked more threatening but Borussia Dortmund had the better chances. The Black and Yellows hit the woodwork twice and were denied by a great save by Michael Esser. The result leaves Dortmund with four points from two games in the Bundesliga.

Here are the Borussia Dortmund player ratings from the game.

Roman Burki (6/10)

Did not have much to do despite Hannover’s dominance. Most of the crosses and shots were hit straight at him and he dealt with them comfortably. Made a terrible miskick in the first half in front of a crowded box but thankfully it did not cause any problems to Dortmund.

Lukasz Piszczek (5/10)

The Pole put in a lackluster shift and struggled for the majority of the game, just like he did on Sunday against Leipzig. Piszczek found it hard to cope with Bebou’s pace at times and Favre might have to think about giving Achraf Hakimi a chance soon.

Manuel Akanji (7/10)

Arguably Borussia Dortmund’s man of the match, Akanji put in a commanding shift at centre back. Was perfectly positioned and aware at all times and did not let Hannover get a sniff of the goal despite their dominance. He made a game high eight clearances, three tackles and two interceptions.

31 August 2018, Germany, Hanover: Soccer: Bundesliga, Hanover 96 – Borussia Dortmund, 2nd matchday in the HDI-Arena. Hanover’s Ihlas Bebou (C) will play Dortmund’s Manuel Akanji (R) and Axel Witsel. (Photo by Swen Pförtner/picture alliance via Getty Images) /

Abdou Diallo (7/10)

Diallo was calm and composed at all times and put in another impressive performance alongside Akanji at centre back. He was confident in possession and rock solid in defense. Only three games in, and Diallo already looks to be an upgrade on Sokratis.

Marcel Schmelzer (4/10)

Schmelzer once again struggled to cope with the pace of the opposition winger as the 19 year old Maina ran rings around him. He looked more comfortable going forward, but his end product was poor. Dortmund might end up regretting not signing a left back this summer.

Axel Witsel (6/10)

Witsel shielded the defense really well and almost played as a third centre back at times. He won the majority of his duels and did not allow any space for Hannover to break into. Going forward, he played too many sideways passes and failed to have as much of an influence as he did against Leipzig. But overall, it was a very solid performance by the Belgium international.

Thomas Delaney (6/10)

Just like Witsel, Delaney was solid defensively and stopped plenty of Hannover attacks. But the Denmark international lacked the quality going forward and failed to get into the game as Hannover dominated possession. Overall, he did well to deal with the opposition threat, but could not help Dortmund run the game from midfield.

31 August 2018, Germany, Hanover: Soccer: Bundesliga, Matchday 2: Hannover 96 – Borussia Dortmund in the HDI Arena. Hanover’s Linton Maina (L) and Dortmund’s Thomas Delaney vie for the ball. Photo: Peter Steffen/dpa /

Mahmoud Dahoud (5/10)

Dahoud worked hard and looked to bring the ball forward every time he got the chance, but once again he lacked the end product and that resulted in some sloppy plays for Borussia Dortmund. Perhaps Lucien Favre would have been better off going with Mario Gotze or Shinji Kagawa for this game.

Marius Wolf (4/10)

Wolf came into the side in place of the injured Christian Pulisic and had a tough time going forward. He looked lost at times in attack but often tracked back to help out Piszczek. Wolf had a great chance to tee up Marco Reus, but his cross was not accurate enough.

Maximilian Philipp (4/10)

Playing as the lone striker, Philipp was anonymous for large parts of the game and failed to have much of an impact. He had to feed off scraps for large parts of the game as his teammates failed to provide him with any quality service. He did come close to scoring once, but his header was deflected on to the post. But other than that, it was just not Philipp’s day. Was taken off in the 77th minute for Jadon Sancho.

Dortmund’s German forward Marco Reus sits on the pitch during the German first division Bundesliga football match Hannover 96 vs Borussia Dortmund in Hanover, northern Germany, on August 31, 2018. (Photo by Ronny Hartmann / AFP) /

Marco Reus (5/10)

Reus had two of Dortmund’s best chances in the game. First he went through on goal from the right wing, but was denied thanks to a great save by Michael Esser. Then just minutes later, he went clear once again, but this time he struck the crossbar. Overall, Reus created some good chances and worked hard going forward. But it just wasn’t his day today.

Substitutes

Jadon Sancho (N/R)

Came on in the 79th minute and did not have enough time to make an impact as Borussia Dortmund seemed to be content with a draw.

Raphael Guerreiro (N/R)

Came on in place of Mahmoud Dahoud in the 85th minute.

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