Dortmund's penalty king reigns supreme in Union Berlin conquest

Borussia Dortmund came away from the German capital with a convincing 3-0 victory over Union Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Following a shock 2-0 loss to a struggling Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League a few days earlier, Der BVB came into the fixture wanting to prove a point.

It took only 10 minutes for them to break the deadlock at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei as Emre Can nonchalantly dispatched a penalty right through the centre, sending Berlin custodian Frederik Ronnow the wrong way.

Nico Schlotterbeck, who is having a breakout year at Dortmund, then doubled their advantage after the break before Maximilian Beier put the final nail in Berlin's coffin with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining.

The win kept Dortmund in second place of the Bundesliga standings with 42 points from 19 games, as their gap with leaders Bayern Munich trimmed to eight points following the latter's shock 2-1 home loss to Augsburg the following days.

Penalty king Emre Can strikes again

Emre Can is the penalty king of Europe at this point. The German has taken 15 for Dortmund and scored all 15. A remarkable feat, considering he is only a midfielder.

His latest exploits from the penalty spot came in the 10th minute on Saturday, as Serhou Guirassy was brought down inside the box, compelling the referee to point to the 12-yards.

Can stood over it and calmly dispatched it through the centre, extending his 100% penalty record to 15 in 15 now, including a third in this season of Bundesliga.

Dortmund display defensive muscle

Borussia Dortmund came to Berlin knowing all too well about their poor record at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, having lost four times in six visits there.

But on this occasion, the side displayed immense defensive resolve to prevent Berlin from finding the net. In fact, they had six shots on target, but none could find a way past Gregor Kobel.

With Daniel Svensson and Julian Ryerson guarding the flanks with aplomb, Berlin's wide players couldn't really create much.

Meanwhile, the back-three of Emre Can, Waldemar Anton and Nico Schlotterbeck displayed excellent positional awareness to never allow their forwards a direct sight at goal as Berlin were reduced to a handful of harmless shots.

The Iron Ones were the beneficiaries of a few set-pieces too, but Dortmund were on guard to prevent any of that from going in.

Perfect way to prepare for Inter Milan

Borussia Dortmund play their final game in the league phase of the Champions League against Inter Milan at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday and Saturday's momentous victory at a tough ground should give them a much-needed confidence boost, especially after the slip-up in London.

With just three wins in seven games, Der BVB are down in 16th place of the Champions League table and must win against the Nerazzurri to stand a chance of advancing directly into the round of 16. Else, a daunting two-legged fixture in the playoffs await.