Borussia Dortmund disappointed once again in the Bundesliga, losing away 2-nil to Leipzig and distancing themselves even more from the European race. Niko Kovač chose not to make any changes to the side that faced Lille midweek, as most players were there by merit.
BVB started the game in reasonable form, trading scoring opportunities with Leipzig in a back-and-forth match, but near the quarter-hour mark, Leipzig began dominating the attack. Leipzig opened the scoring through Xavi Simmons, who finished a rebound from a chance created by David Raum. Waldemar Anton, who played the right-back position, drifted into the middle of the pitch too often, and the Black and Yellows were punished for the space allotted to Raum on the wing this time.
The second half opened with too little focus, as an unmarked Lois Openeda scored from a Simmons corner kick minutes after kickoff. Dortmund became much more aggressive after the second concession, creating more than a few clear chances. But it was too little, too late, as Leipzig’s Peter Gulacsi made nine saves to deny the Black and Yellows a score in this match. Alas, BVB missed their fair share of chances in this period, too, and it’s another domestic loss for Niko Kovač and company. Here are my biggest takeaways: