Borussia Dortmund player ratings from Mainz defeat: Sancho, Piszczek have a night to forget

Achraf Hakimi (5/10)

Hakimi was casual at times defensively, but he was heavily involved in Borussia Dortmund’s attacking play. Despite getting into good positions, his crosses failed to find a black and yellow shirt more often than not, as often is the case. He came closest to scoring for Dortmund in the second half with his well struck free-kick, but Müller made a good save to deny him.

Axel Witsel (4.5/10)

Witsel was far from his best, both in terms of his distribution and creativity from midfield. The Belgian international had a few sloppy giveaways, and also struggled in his duels with the Mainz midfielders. He also blocked Marcel Schmelzer’s shot, albeit inadvertently, in the second half. He did make a few important tackles and interceptions, but overall, it just wasn’t his night.

Julian Brandt (4.5/10)

Brandt once again looked like a shadow of the player we saw in the early weeks after the restart. He did really well defensively, winning the majority of his duels and making some important recoveries. But he just wasn’t able to find the killer pass required to help break down the resilient Mainz defence.

Still, he looked a lot more comfortable in the number eight role than he did playing further forward at the weekend.

Raphael Guerreiro (4.5/10)

Guerreiro was lucky not to be sent off for shoving his finger in Latza’s face. With Can drawn out of position in the build-up to the opener, he had to provide cover in the box. As a result, Ridle Baku had all the space and time in the world to pick out Jonathan Burkardt. The Portuguese international was moved to central midfield in the second half, but failed to find an opening.