Recap and analysis of Borussia Dortmund’s pre-season win over Liverpool

Borussia Dortmund continued their pre-season form with a 3-2 victory against Liverpool FC. It was a hot and humid afternoon in Southbend, Indiana but the Black and Yellows continued to show that they are a force to be reckoned with.

The game got off to a fabulous start for Borussia Dortmund as Paco Alcacer punished sloppy defending from Nathaniel Clyne thanks to intensive pressure from youngster Gio Reyna. Alcacer seemed to be a striker transformed as he was constantly on the move, looking to get the ball back and getting himself into fantastic positions for crosses from both wings.

The game showed no signs of slowing down although it should be mentioned that the pitch was in no particular shape for a professional football game. A very slow pitch with no bounce to it, both teams struggled to make even the simplest of passes. Jadon Sancho even struggled to get into the game and couldn’t make his usual blistering runs.

Marwin Hitz was called into action plenty of times during the first half and made two absolutely crucial saves. Ryan Kent had a decent shot on goal from inside the six-yard box but Hitz was up to the task. And once again when James Milner fed Harry Wilson a through ball, but Hitz read the situation perfectly and denied the Welshman.

But the Dortmund defence was penetrated by a Fabinho through ball and an excellent dummy from James Milner which left Harry Wilson with a controlled shot into the bottom left corner. Mario Götze had the chance to restore Dortmund’s lead after a magnificent pass from Mats Hummels but was denied by Simon Mignolet. Both teams cancelled each other out in the first half with no poor performances in particular from any Borussia Dortmund player. Both teams went into halftime with the scores level at 1-1.

Dortmund made 9 changes going into the second half and came in with the foot on the gas. 7 minutes later Marius Wolf found Thorgan Hazard at the edge of the box who drilled the ball back into the middle to find Thomas Delaney with the entire goal at his mercy, and the Dane tapped the ball home. Just 5 minutes later Jacob Bruun Larsen found himself on the scoresheet after Marius Wolf’s cutback found him lurking in the middle of the box to make it 3-1.

Liverpool decided to make their set of changes around the hour mark which helped them find their feet. In the 73rd minute after some intense pressure, the Reds got their goal after a poor challenge from Mateu Morey. Rhian Brewster made no mistake as he buried the ball past Hitz into the top right-hand corner. Borussia Dortmund were able to see out the game and continue their fine form in their pre-season campaign.

Leonardo Balerdi was rock solid at the back. He showed no hesitation in making passes up the pitch and worked well with the experienced Mats Hummels. The new boys showed great signs of promise and are already looking comfortable with Favre’s philosophy. Marco Reus didn’t see much action but its better to be safe than sorry with our captain. It was a thrilling match against the Champions League winners which puts an end to the club’s adventure in the States.

The Black and Yellows will now be heading to Switzerland to take on Udinese and St. Gallen next week, before the big test against Bayern Munich on August 03.