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Takeaways from Borussia Dortmund’s 1-0 win against FC Köln

By Abdullah Mamaniyat

Borussia Dortmund were far from their best but beat Köln 1-0. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Borussia Dortmund were far from their best but beat Köln 1-0. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) /
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Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels
Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images) /

Ramy Bensebaini and Mats Hummels stepped up in defence

If his debut was anything to go by, the smartest piece of business that Borussia Dortmund do all season may be purchasing Ramy Bensebaini on a free transfer. The former Gladbach defender was one of the team’s top performers on Saturday. He was resilient in demanding more from himself – which was a world apart from several other Dortmund players on the pitch.

His predecessor Raphael Guerreiro may be missed for his goal and assist contributions, but Bensebaini will add much more defensive discipline and prowess down the left wing throughout this season.

The other candidate for Man of the Match was Mats Hummels. The German defender was stepping in for Nico Schlotterbeck, who is not yet at 100% fitness. He did start the match shakily and often found himself playing too many 1-2’s at the back with Niklas Süle.

However, he grew into the game and a series of last ditch challenges helped save BVB from an opening day embarrassment. He was especially impressive in the air, winning 7 of his 10 aerial duels. There isn’t much depth throughout this squad that Borussia Dortmund can boast about, but the experienced hand of Mats Hummels remains key to their hopes of achieving success this season.