Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Werder Bremen: Three talking points from comprehensive win

Borussia Dortmund pulled off a convincing 4-1 victory against Werder Bremen this past weekend, with results around the Bundesliga keeping their dream of Champions League football within reach.

It was an uplifting Sunday afternoon for Borussia Dortmund fans, who saw their team come out 4-1 winners against Werder Bremen. Die Schwarzgelben started the game on the right foot, attacking in packs and staying compact, but it was Werder’s Milot Rashica who struck first, a blistering counter attack in the 13th minute that saw the Kosovo international beat Mats Hummels for pace and slot past a static Marwin Hitz.

Rashica’s goal was the wake up call Dortmund needed however, with the game swinging in their favour courtesy of goals from Gio Reyna, Erling Haaland and Mats Hummels. Let us take a look at some of the key talking points and moments this match had to offer.

Gio Reyna and Thorgan Hazard see an uptick in form

As one of Borussia Dortmund’s less prolific performers this season, Gio Reyna’s performance in this came almost couldn’t come at a better time. After a strong start to the season, Reyna seemed to fade out of the starting XI as his performances became less effective. But Reyna seems to really enjoy playing against Werder. The young USMNT international scoring a wonderful curler against Bremen back in last year’s edition of the DFB Pokal. He scored an equally impressive rocket of a goal to put Dortmund level on Sunday, and orchestrated a lot of the creative play they used to put Bremen under pressure.

Reyna was directly involved in putting in the pass for Haaland’s second on the night. The weight and direction of the pass seemed to wrong foot the Bremen defence which bundled it to Haaland for an easy tap in, but Reyna’s position and thought process behind the pass were critical. His play against Bremen shows that the youngster’s confidence is returning, something, as mentioned, he seemed to be lacking if we take a look at his year as a whole.

In addition to Reyna, Thorgan Hazard also had a much more effective game, albeit coming off the bench. The Belgian international was responsible for the corner delivery that led to Hummels’ goal in the 86th minute. He also went on a few excursions into the box, showing the footwork and directness that have been missing since his return from injury. An in form Hazard could be a very very important offensive weapon that Dortmund can use to further their ambitions of breaking into the top four.