Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Wolfsburg
Bundesliga, Matchday 14
03/01/21
Edin Terzic’s first game in charge for Borussia Dortmund at home ended in victory for the BlackYellows.
Manuel Akanji’s header midway through the second half and Jadon Sancho’s finish in injury-time stopped the rot at Signal Aduna Park after a run of three home defeats for Dortmund.
It’s only the second loss for Wolfsburg this season.
Victory for Dortmund means they leapfrog Wolfsburg to fourth, six points behind leaders Bayern with Wolfsburg sixth.
Haaland returns
Such was the significance of the game for Dortmund’s interhim boss, Terzic decided to match Oliver Glasner’s set up.
Gone was the attacking ‘3-4-3’ in place of a more rigid 4-2-3-1 which made Dortmund difficult to beat but didn’t seem to accommodate Haaland as well as the returning Norwegian would have liked.
Haaland, restored to the 11 having recovered from a torn hamstring and with wonderkid Yousouffa Moukoko out injured, left the pitch in frustration after being subbed with ten minutes to go having not found the net.
On the plus side Jadon Sancho finally opened his account for Dortmund having not scored yet this season.
Although the defeat means Wolfsburg haven’t won in six on the road the score flattered BVB with the Green and Whites giving a good account of themselves.
Story of the first half – Wolfsburg come out the blocks against a frustrated BVB
It was a point of concern that former coach Lucien Favre couldn’t wake Dortmund from their slumber having often overseen the BlackYellows start slow in games.
With the abundance of attacking riches on the pitch – Sancho, Haaland, Reyna – it’s not uncommon, like it was today, to see Dortmund with the ball at the feet of Roman Burki and four defenders parked in line with their keeper across the width of the pitch – how deep you can find a Borussia Dortmund set-up at the moment.
Haaland was back after seven weeks out with hamstring trouble but it was captain Reus who got the first shot on target for Dortmund inside ten minutes.
That’s not exactly slow in carving out the first opportunity, however what was slow was Dortmund’s initial reaction to the conclusion of the winter break.
Wolfsburg could have been two up in six minutes through chances for Xavier Schlager – scuffed wide from eight yards – and Yannick Gerhardt – whose shot was destined for the net but for the goal saving intervention of Hummels.
The former Bayern defender has been one of the better performers in a lacklustre Dortmund side of late.
Hummels would have to be good today coming up against one of Europe’s most underrated strikers in Wout Weghorst.
Weghorst’s first real contribution to the match came on 20’ when the 6’5’ Dutchman ran half the length of the field to protest about Renato Steffen’s header being blocked by the elbow of Axel Witsel.
Ref Manuel Grafe did impressively well in glazing over Weghorst’s protests. Replays showed that Witsel’s arm was raised but some how, miraculously, the ball seemed to go through his arm and hit the side of the Belgian’s head.
Weghorst is a deadly member of the Wolfsburg pack averaging .53 goals a game in his Green and White career and having scored 7 in the last 7 in Bundesliga.
The tale is usually of two strikers. Weghorst’s opposite number on the field was the returning and massively missed Erling Haaland.
Haaland – imperious in goal scoring stats since his first kick of a ball in a pro league – didn’t get his first shot on target until 28’, a 18 yard pick up for Wolfsburg captain Koen Casteels.
Having been denied his instinct of scoring goals for seven weeks, down to what Terzic described as a striker doing too much, Haaland got his opportunity on 33’, beating the offside trap to pluck Akanji’s pass from the air. But, after turning Wolfsburg defender John Brooks inside out, Haaland saw his shot blocked and loop over the bar.
One of the side plots to the first half was a cluster of pens dismissed by referee Grafe.
Reus looked to be brought down by Brooks after steaming into the Wolfsburg box on 30’ and Akanji was lucky he didn’t concede a spot kick, going to ground and making contact with Wolfsburg midfielder Maximilian Arnold on 32’.
Another plot, which would have had a far more interesting script, was the look Haaland gave Sancho after seeing the Englishmen’s attempt to the rebound off his piledriver at Casteels.
Haaland thundered a shot at the Wolfsburg keeper from twelve yards which was hit so hard the rebound looped out ten feet. That loop landed in the path of Sancho who had an empty net to aim for but scuffed a tame effort wide.
Social Scope
Further articles:
–Preview: Bundesliga is back after winter break. What’s been and what’s to come for the league with the most deadly strikers on the planet
–Youssoufa Moukoko becomes Bundesliga’s youngest ever goal scorer in BVB’s loss to Union Berlin: Match report
–More is expected of Aberdeen FC as they are frustrated at home by United: SPL Reaction
2nd half – BVB huff and puff and blow Wolfsburg’s house down
Dortmund don’t learn and again let the opposition side in first. Paulo Otavio’s delicious cross two minutes into the restart was somehow missed by everyone and ran across the six yard box.
Haaland, as ever, was trying to inspire Dortmund but all the Norwegian’s return seemed to do was inspire Wolfsburg captain Casteels whose save off the striker’s shot on 52’ was world class.
Weghorst’s goalscoring exploits have developed a reputation of inevitability. The Dutchman got snifters on 54’ and 55’. The first was a squirmed shot that Akanji did well to come across and cover. The second was a header over the bar when the striker got in front of Burki to meet a cross.
The deadlock was broken on 62’ in one of the more straight forward of manners. Sancho whipped in a cross and Akanji, free in the centre of the box, got up and headed in.
So poor was Wolfsburg’s marking at the corner Hummels was waiting directly behind Akanji to nod in if the Swiss missed.
Akanji almost had a second a minute later in the exact same manner as the first. This time Casteels attempted to come out and punch clear Sancho’s cross but missed the ball. Luckily Akanji’s header bounced wide.
Probably the biggest indication of how the game was going to go was Weghorst’s miss on 72’. Hummels played Guerreiro into trouble on the left allowing Wolfsburg to intercept and get a cross in. Weghorst was alone in the six yard box and looked certain to score but for Akanji coming across to block the Dutchman’s shot.
Haaland left the field not with a goal but in frustration after handling a pass on 80′. The Norwegian kicked the ball away and was carded, giving the opportunity of a debut to German forward Stefan Tigges making his first appearance for Dortmund’s senior side.
Tigges almost made an instant impression chasing down the ball and sliding a shot come pass across Casteels’ goal.
The game was put to bed by Sancho who was released on the break and after a nice bit of trickery to free himself from Otavio, slotted coolly against Casteels.
Man of the match: Manuel Akjani
Got the crucial first goal but also made some game changing interceptions particularly off Wolfsburg’s prolific number nine Weghorst. Worked overtime to see BVB through.
BVB, 4-2-3-1: Burki (GK), Hummels, Delaney, Guerreiro, Akanji, Witsel, Meunier, Reus (C) (->86′), Sancho, Reyna (->90+2′), Haaland (->81′)
Subs: Hitz (GK), Morey, Zagadou (->90+2′), Dahoud, Schulz, Brandt, Piszczek, Can (->86′), Tigges (->81′)
Wolfsburg, 4-2-3-1: Casteels (C), Otavio, Brekalo (->71′), Steffen (->87′), Weghorst, Brooks, Arnold, Gerhardt (->71′), Baku, Schlager (->87′), Pongracic (->78′)
Subs: Kasten (GK), William, Lacroix (->78′), Mehmedi (->71′), Guilavogui, Mbabu, Ginczek (->87′), Victor (->71′), Bialek (->87′)
Goals: Akanji 66’, Sancho 90+3’
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 