Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Newcastle United: Takeaways from crucial Champions League win

Borussia Dortmund were devastating on the counter-attack

Edin Terzic was on the receiving end of a lot of (well deserved) stick for his setup against the Bavarians, prone to much of Bayern’s excellence in transition.

Turning the tables this time around, the boyhood BVB fan’s game plan under the bright lights of the UEFA Champions League worked to a tee. Newcastle were opened up on the counter multiple times on the night.

For Borussia Dortmund’s second goal, which put the game to bed, Kieran Trippier’s poor free-kick led to a fantastic finish by Julian Brandt.

However, the theme of the night was how stylistic the build-up to both goals was. For the 79th minute winner, there were only 14 seconds between the Newcastle free-kick being taken and Brandt’s finishing touch.

It was Karim Adeyemi’s initiation, after checking his shoulder, that set up a 2v1 counter before five Newcastle players even noticed the danger of the ball. A few seconds later, Brandt’s sweet composure and finish past Nick Pope ensured that the Black and Yellow brigade went home happy.

The significant statistical takeaway was Borussia Dortmund’s 1.34 xG, which is obviously below how many goals they actually scored. Their 46% possession at home to Newcastle’s 54% is another showing of how effective Terzic’s team was on the counter-attack.