BVB strike late to win 3-1 and keep up momentum

Borussia Dortmund regained fourth place in the table on Sunday evening. In the closing fixture of the Bundesliga's Matchday 26, BVB emerged 3-1 (1-1) winners in a hard-fought game against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Boris Rupert reporting 

With 81,365 spectators watching on at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, Eintracht's Mario Götze punished a defensive slip-up to give the away side the lead in the 13th minute. However, Karim Adeyemi equalised after just over half an hour for a BVB side who were on top in the encounter but lacking defensive solidity. It was not until the 81st minute that Mats Hummels scored to make it 2-1, with Emre Can adding another goal from the penalty spot in time added on.

The scenario: 
The Black & Yellows had scored more goals (197) and won more matches (49) against Eintracht than any other club. Frankfurt came into this one on the back of a five-game unbeaten run and having lost just one of their last ten Bundesliga matches.

Personnel matters:   
Not only was the suspended Marcel Sabitzer out of action, but also Gregor Kobel, forced to drop out with a minor injury, and Jadon Sancho, who picked up a knock in midweek and dropped down to the bench. Nico Schlotterbeck, who was suspended for the win in the Champions League over PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday (2-0), came back into the side. There were four other changes to the starting XI: Alexander Meyer, Marius Wolf, Marco Reus and Karim Adeyemi replaced Kobel and Sabitzer, with Sancho, Niklas Süle and Salih Özcan all moving to the bench.

Tactics:   
The Frankfurt defence transitioned smoothly from a back three to a back four to a back five. In possession, the Hessians switched to a 3-4-3 system, with the ex-Borussia players Götze and Knauff behind the lone striker Marmoush. Widemen Dina Ebimbe and Nkounkou also moved high up the pitch. BVB operated in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a total of five attacking players, one of whom, Julian Brandt, dropped deep to join Emre Can in the midfield double-pivot.

The match & analysis:
After a cautious start, in which BVB only managed to pose a threat from distance, a loss of possession near the opposition penalty area led to an early goal conceded on the counter-attack. Nkounkou knocked the ball forward towards the centre circle, where Marmoush got the better of Schlotterbeck. The Frankfurt striker bore down on goal, but he was unable to finish past Meyer. The rebound fell for Götze, who took the shot on first time from the half-circle in front of the penalty area and found the back of the net with aplomb to open the scoring (13).

Five minutes later, Eintracht's Pacho denied a potential equaliser when he cleared Füllkrug's header on his own goal line. This was BVB's only big chance in the opening 30 minutes. Too often, the requisite decisiveness was lacking. But then Schlotterbeck played an impressive diagonal ball to Malen, who broke through on the right of the penalty area and played a low cross across the face of goal. Reus let the ball run through to the wide open Adeyemi, who had slipped into a pocket of space on the left of the six-yard box and had a simple finish to make it 1-1 (33). Although the Black & Yellows had the upper-hand in terms of statistics (eight shots on goal to three, 61% possession), too many errors prevented them from taking a lead into the half-time break.

The second half began just as cautiously as the first. Borussia's attacking sequences were too static, despite the fact they were now playing towards the South Stand. Adeyemi's equaliser in the 33rd minute remained the home team's last shot on goal until well into the second half. It was SGE who came closer to scoring another goal, but Dina Ebimbe's shot on 50 minutes posed no major problems for Meyer. In the 69th minute, after a foul on Maatsen had not been called, Marmoush had a sight of goal from close range, but Meyer got down well to make the save.

The final 20 minutes of the game got off to a frantic start, with Malen fizzing a shot just wide of the upright (71). Seconds later, Brandt had a big chance to make it 2-1 after one of the visitors' few defensive errors, but a defender got back in time to send the ball wide with an outstretched leg. But the breakthrough then came in the 81st minute: following the first yellow card of the match (shown to Buta for a foul on Malen, Brandt stepped up to whip a free-kick into the box. The delivery dipped down into the danger zone, which Hummels flew into and sent the ball goalward with a powerful header to make it 2-1. Five minutes later, Can was shown a red card for a studs-up challenge, but it was downgraded to a yellow following an intervention from the video assistant.

In stoppage time, Moukoko slipped a ball in behind to Bynoe-Gittens, who was tripped by a Frankfurt defender - penalty kick. Can stepped up to slot it home and bring the final score to 3-1.

Outlook:  
The Bundesliga is set to pause during the international break. BVB will pick things up on Easter Saturday (30 March) with a trip to Bayern Munich.

Teams & goals

Bundesliga, Matchday 26

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 3–1 (1-1) EINTRACHT FRANKFURT

Bor. Dortmund: Meyer – Wolf, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Maatsen (85, Bensebaini) – Brandt (85, Özcan), Can – Adeyemi (65, Bynoe-Gittens), Reus (65, Nmecha), Malen – Füllkrug (73, Moukoko)
Eintr. Frankfurt: Trapp – Tuta (90. Chandler), Koch, Pacho – Dina Ebimbe (68, Chaibi), Skhiri (90, Hasebe), Larsson, Nkounkou – Götze (74, Ekitiké), Knauff (74, Buta) – Marmoush
Substitutes: Lotka, Sancho, Duranville, Süle – Grahl, Collins, Max, van de Beek
Goals: 0-1 Götze (13, Marmoush), 1-1 Adeyemi (33, Malen), 2-1 Hummels (81, Brandt), 3-1 Can (90+3, penalty, Koch foul on Bynoe-Gittens)
Corners: 8-3 (4-2 at half-time), chance ratio: 4-3 (2-1)
Referee: Stieler (Hamburg) bookings: Can – Buta, Koch
Attendance: 81,365 (sold-out), weather: bright, 12 degrees

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