Borussia Dortmund played the party-crasher role perfectly on Sunday, when they beat Bayer Leverkusen at Xabi Alonso's farewell game by 4-2. The Black and Yellows started the match with a too passive posture, allowing the homeowners to create chance after chance. Gregor Kobel, who was saving the day already at that point, could not stop Jeremie Frimpong from opening the score.
However, the BVB players were not let down and tied exactly one minute later, and surprisingly found a second goal. Following the 2-1, Gregor Kobel indeed became the star of the show, with some incredible saves that allowed BVB to go to halftime with the advantage. In the second half, Dortmund played a more cohesive game defensively and exploited Leverkusen's high lines to kill the match in two deadly counters with Adeyemi and Guirassy, respectively.
The Black and Yellows now put themselves in an excellent situation for the last match of the season against Holstein Kiel at the Signal Iduna Park. Since Freiburg and Frankfurt are playing each other, which means someone is going to drop points, Dortmund needs to win by a two-goal margin or more to guarantee a spot in next season's Champions League virtually. A position that many fans never thought they would be considering, given the start of BVB's 2024/2025 season, which gives hope, as here are the player ratings for Dortmund's 4-2 win at the BayArena:
Defense
Gregor Kobel (10/10) – Gregor Kobel likely had one of the best games of his Dortmund career. With seven key saves against Leverkusen, Kobel was the man of the match for BVB, helping guarantee the 2-1 advantage in the first half and, eventually, the three points. Even with two goals conceded, this is a 10/10 performance in my books.
Ramy Bensebaini (6/10) – Bensebaini was solid in general, but he was having a hard time stopping Wirtz and Frimpong on his side. The first goal started with an easy one-two on his sector.
Waldemar Anton (6/10) – Anton looked a little less confident in possession compared to the past few games. Even so, he was solid in the air.
Niklas Süle (7/10) – Niklas Süle was the most prolific defender for Dortmund in this match. His control when in possession and good positioning helped BVB take the three points home.
Midfield
Julian Ryerson (7/10) – Ryerson deserves props for his banger of a goal, but he was not good defensively in the first half. However, he recovered quite nicely in the second stage.
Pascal Groß (8/10) – Pascal Groß might not have had the most eye-catching stats for this one, but his pre-assist and assist in the first half, and quick game IQ deserve all the recognition from BVB fans as the most evolved player since Kovač came in.
Felix Nmecha (5/10) - Nmecha was the only player really below standards in the first half, and was fairly subbed at the break.
Julian Brandt (8/10) – With one goal and one assist, it is so pleasant to see Julian Brandt back to his old self again, which might eventually give him a new contract as he thrives in this new system.
Daniel Svensson (7/10) - Svensson had his struggles against Frimpong, especially in the first half, but the Swede keeps showing what a bargain of a signing he was since joining.
Attackers & Subs
Serhou Guirassy (8/10) – Guirassy reached his 33rd goal this season, and once again gave the Black and Yellow what they paid for.
Karim Adeyemi (9/10) – Karim Adeyemi is such a fun player to watch. His speed and skills were proven to be exactly what Dortmund needed after his brilliant off-the-bench performance against Wolfsburg.
Marcel Sabitzer, Emre Can, Salih Özcan, Yan Couto, Jamie Gittens (N/A) – They did not have a great impact on the match or played very few minutes.
Niko Kovač (9/10) – Niko Kovač has had a late but good effect on Borussia Dortmund, which made fans hopeful again. Since changing formation, the Croat has elevated the number of players in the squad, including Niklas Süle and Pascal Groß, who have been pivotal for the team's breakthrough close to the season's end. He maintained the formation against Levekusen and trusted that his players would find efficient ways to hurt Alonso's team, which eventually turned into a significant margin win.
Kovač has definitely earned one more year at the helm, but he still needs to showcase how high of a ceilling he can make this BVB team reach. The summer transfer market will definitely influence that, but he has got the benefit of the doubt, for now.