Borussia Dortmund pick up 3 important points in 2-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld
Borussia Dortmund extended their Bundesliga winning streak to four games with a 2-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.
Borussia Dortmund sealed another comfortable win on Saturday, bringing them to five wins and one loss through the first six games in the Bundesliga. Although Dortmund dominated possession, Arminia Bielefeld didn’t make it easy for them, and it wasn’t until the 53rd minute that they were able to find the breakthrough with Mats Hummels finding the back of the net off a corner to make it 1-0.
Hummels then added a second in the 71st minute, heading home after a lovely cross by Marco Reus. Dortmund created some other clear cut scoring chances in this one, including two partial breakaways for Julian Brandt, but just weren’t able to take advantage of them. Fortunately, Hummels was able to convert his chances as it would have been a frustrating day for Dortmund otherwise.
Lucien Favre’s side controlled the game from start to finish through possession, shot attempts and scoring chances, but were again held off the score sheet in the first half. It’s encouraging that Dortmund seem to wear opponents down and find solutions in the second half, but it is a bit worrisome that they haven’t been able to score much in the first half of games this season.
There will come a time where an opponent is able to shut the door in the second half. It does help that Borussia Dortmund have only conceded two goals themselves so far through six games.
The most concerning news from this game was that Mats Hummels left with what looked to be a hamstring injury in the closing embers of the game.
If Hummels misses more than just the midweek Champions League game, it would be flat out catastrophic for Dortmund. Not only is he the leader of the back line but he is one of only two fit centre-backs on the squad. With Dan-Axel Zagadou out injured and Emre Can out with COVID-19 and Bayern coming up in a week, Dortmund cannot afford to lose Mats Hummels.