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FSV Mainz 05 1-2 Borussia Dortmund: Key Takeaways

By Brian Szlenk Straub

MAINZ, GERMANY - JANUARY 25: Players of Dortmund celebrate during the Bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund at MEWA Arena on January 25, 2023 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Markus Gilliar - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
MAINZ, GERMANY - JANUARY 25: Players of Dortmund celebrate during the Bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund at MEWA Arena on January 25, 2023 in Mainz, Germany. (Photo by Markus Gilliar - GES Sportfoto/Getty Images) /
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Gio Reyna celebrates after scoring for Borussia Dortmund against Mainz
Gio Reyna celebrates after scoring for Borussia Dortmund against Mainz (Photo by DANIEL ROLAND/AFP via Getty Images) /

Gio Reyna save Dortmund for second match day in a row

Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna has been a man on a mission since returning to the club after the USMNT’s stint at the World Cup in Qatar. There’s been much talk around the US International, with drama seeming to come from all corners surrounding his role in Qatar.

Reyna has been keen to put all the drama behind him however and do his talking on the pitch, with the 20 year old American putting in some exemplary performances for Die Schwarzgelben, saving the result for his side not once but twice in the last few days. Reyna scored an emphatic winner off the bench in Dortmund’s win against Augsburg, and has now followed it up with his latest last gasp winner against Mainz.

Reyna has often been a figure looked at as a player with “great potential” at Dortmund, but a menagerie of injuries have not exactly allowed Reyna to have a sustained stint on the pitch for his side in some time. His most recent performances however seem to hint that if these struggles are behind him, he can be an integral player for Dortmund going forward.

So far, Edin Terzić has elected to bring Reyna off the bench. With these performances highlighting a player both in form and determined to prove people wrong, Reyna may find himself in the running for a starting spot in Dortmund’s pivotal weekend clash against Bayer Leverkusen.

Final thoughts

Overall, while we’ve stuck to covering mainly positives in this set of takeaways, there are of course parts of Dortmund’s most recent showings that make one nervous for their weekend clash with Bayer Leverkusen. For one, Dortmund’s defending will have to be far more solid when facing Leverkusen, a side that has been ever improving under the stewardship of Xabi Alonso.

Next. Borussia Dortmund player ratings from 2-1 win over Mainz 05. dark

Dortmund allowed Mainz to have some very silly chances on goal, chances that certainly won’t go begging if the likes of Florian Wirtz or Moussa Diary find themselves in space. The game is just as critical for Dortmund as their game with Mainz was. A win would see them possibly make their way back into the Champions League places, if other results go their way as well.