Lethargic Borussia Dortmund stunned by incisive Union Berlin

Borussia Dortmund suffered their first defeat of the campaign, losing 3-1 to newly promoted side Union Berlin.

Lucien Favre made three changes to the side that beat FC Koln last weekend, with Julian Brandt, Thomas Delaney and Achraf Hakimi replacing Thorgan Hazard, Axel Witsel and Nico Schulz respectively.

Borussia Dortmund started well, and created their first chance in just the sixth minute, when Julian Brandt got on the end of Mats Hummels’ superb diagonal pass, but his low cross was just beyond the reach of Paco Alcacer and Jadon Sancho. Another gorgeous pass from the back, this time from Manuel Akanji, was met by Marco Reus. But the Dortmund captain’s first time shot went harmlessly over the bar.

Union Berlin took the lead shortly after, with Marius Bülter getting on the end of a well worked corner and finding the bottom corner with a lovely finish. The Iron Ones’ joy was short lived though, as Jadon Sancho picked out Paco Alcacer with a superb low cross just three minutes later, and the Spaniard made no mistake from two yards out.

After getting their equaliser, Borussia Dortmund started to play with more intent, and created several good openings, with Julian Brandt looking the most dangerous of the players. But they weren’t able to make the most of their chances and the two teams went into the break with the scores level.

While Borussia Dortmund dominated the first half, the second half was a completely different story. Union Berlin came out of the blocks quickly and took advantage of some shocking defending by Manuel Akanji to retake the lead in the 50th minute, with Marius Bülter getting his second goal of the evening.

As Borussia Dortmund poured men forward to get back on level terms once again, Union Berlin continued to get plenty of space on the counter attack. And they doubled the lead in the 75th minute when Sebastian Andersson got on the end of a low cross before finding the bottom right corner.

The goal further deflated Borussia Dortmund, who were unable to create much for the rest of the game, handing Union Berlin their first ever Bundesliga win.

Powered by the rapturous home crowd, the newly promoted side made Borussia Dortmund look quite ordinary. Union Berlin outplayed and outfought their more illustrious opponents, and they were rewarded with three priceless points, and a night they will never forget.

For Borussia Dortmund, this defeat serves as a reality check as we head into the international break. Lucien Favre’s side did not look convincing last weekend either, and this defeat once again highlighted their issues. If the Black and Yellows want to win the Bundesliga title this season, they must fix these issues, and quickly.

Following the international break, Borussia Dortmund host Bayer Leverkusen, before taking on Barcelona in the Champions League.