Unconvincing Borussia Dortmund hold Schalke to goalless draw

Despite being outplayed for the majority of the game, Borussia Dortmund held Schalke to a goalless draw in a high-octane Revierderby.

Following their 2-0 defeat to Inter Milan on Wednesday, a much changed Borussia Dortmund side took the field against local rivals Schalke. Marwin Hitz, Lukasz Piszczek, Raphael Guerreiro, Marco Reus and Mario Götze all came into the side as Lucien Favre switched back to his preferred back four, with Julian Weigl partnering Mats Hummels in defence.

It was another frantic occasion at the Veltins-Arena, with the two arch rivals looking to get one over the other. Borussia Dortmund made a good start to the game, and could have taken the lead inside three minutes, but Jadon Sancho’s effort from the edge of the box was parried away by Alexander Nübel.

Schalke took charge of the game after that and their high pressing and energy prevented Dortmund from getting any time or space on the ball. Salif Sane and Suat Serdar hit the woodwork, before Marwin Hitz made himself big to deny Rabbi Matondo after the Welshman had gone clean through on goal. The hosts continued to show their dominance, and Dortmund were lucky to go into the break with the scores level.

The second half started with Schalke continuing to cause problems to the Borussia Dortmund defence. Matondo was played through by Burgstaller’s flicked header, but Hitz stood firm to deny him once again. The Black and Yellows made a rare go at the Schalke goal in the 53rd minute, but Jadon Sancho’s effort from the edge of the box whistled just wide of the post.

Lucien Favre made his first change of the game soon after, with Thorgan Hazard coming on to replace Mario Götze. Just two minutes later, the ball struck Hazard on the arm from a Schalke corner. But the referee decided that it wasn’t a penalty and allowed played to continue.

Matondo had another excellent chance to give Schalke the lead in the 68th minute, but this time he lost his composure and skied his shot.

With the clock ticking, Borussia Dortmund started to exert more pressure on the Schalke goal, and Jadon Sancho was once again denied by a diving Nübel. Thorgan Hazard’s surging runs caused a few problems to the Schalke defenders, but Dortmund weren’t able to create anything more than a couple of half chances late on.

In the end, neither team was able to trouble the scorers and the game ended goalless. Borussia Dortmund will undoubtedly be the happier side with the result, as Schalke created more than enough chances to put the game beyond doubt in the first half. But the BVB bosses will certainly be disappointed with the way the team played for the majority of the game.

Next up for Borussia Dortmund is another tricky clash against Borussia Monchengladbach in the second round of the DFB Pokal. Dortmund’s next Bundesliga game will see them host Wolfsburg, who are the only remaining unbeaten team in the league this season.