Niclas Füllkrug and Julian Brandt on target as Borussia Dortmund claim vital 2-0 win over Newcastle United
By Tushar Bahl
Borussia Dortmund took a crucial step towards qualifying for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday evening by claiming a vital 2-0 win over Newcastle United.
Under pressure and in desperate need to deliver a response, Borussia Dortmund stepped up and showed that they belong on the Champions League stage. Goals from Niclas Füllkrug and Julian Brandt either side of half-time helped the Black and Yellows beat Newcastle United 2-0.
It was a highly professional BVB performance, as they controlled the game from the first whistle to the last and now find themselves with an excellent chance of qualifying for the round of 16.
Edin Terzic made three changes to the side that was heavily beaten by Bayern Munich this past weekend, with Niklas Süle, Felix Nmecha, and Karim Adeyemi coming in for Marius Wolf, Marco Reus, and Donyell Malen.
Looking to issue a response after Saturday’s heavy defeat, Borussia Dortmund took the attacking initiative in the early stages and forced Nick Pope into action twice in the opening 15 minutes.
Newcastle struggled to come to grips with BVB’s physicality in the first-half, and Niclas Füllkrug turned dominance into a 1-0 goal lead in the 26th minute after some really good interplay with Marcel Sabitzer.
The second-half was a slightly different story – amid fan protests against greed in football and the UEFA Champions League reforms – as Newcastle threw on Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almirón in search of an equaliser. The two changes gave the English Premier League side more bite in attack, but the home side managed the game really well.
Former Hoffenheim player Joelinton had Newcastle’s best chance of the game, but failed to beat Gregor Kobel with his header.
And Borussia Dortmund then made sure of the win after a blistering counter-attack, with Karim Adeyemi setting up Julian Brandt who found the bottom corner after a darting run into the Newcastle box.
Next. Borussia Dortmund player ratings from 2-0 win over Newcastle United. dark
The win means that Borussia Dortmund are well on course for a spot in the UEFA Champions League round of 16. With seven points to their name from four games, BVB will go into matchday five in Italy against AC Milan knowing that one more win from their remaining two games should be enough to help them get over the line.