Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Bundesliga, Matchday 17
19/01/21
Dortmund lost their sixth game of the season and could be ten points behind Bayern Munich in the title race by this time tomorrow evening.
The impressive Moussa Diaby opened the scoring for Leverkusen on 14’ with a superb touch and finish from a Bailey long ball.
Former Leverkusen player now a BlackYellow Julian Brandt equalised in the second half.
Teenage wonderkid and successor to Havertz’s thrown Florian Wirtz won it for Leverkusen with a powerful strike from 18 yards, although substitute Patrik Schick looked to have strayed offside in the build-up.
The defeat for Dortmund is another worrying blemish on their season, the BlackYellows usually coming away with results against Leverkusen having won four of the last five encounters.
It’s BVB’s sixth loss of the campaign and sees them trailing Bayern by what could be ten points if The Reds beat Augsburg away tomorrow evening.
Most worrying is it’s two games in a row Erling Haaland hasn’t scored.
Further articles:
–Bayern Munich Survive Late Scare To Beat Freiburg 2-1 In Bundesliga: Match Report
–Weekend Review: SPFL Residing Over A Mess, Hansi Flick Doesn’t Want To Talk, Aberdeen Hammered In Dingwall, And Six Nations Threat
–Inquest: Can Mcinnes Reinvigorate Aberdeen After Crushing Defeat To Ross County?
1st half: Burki vs Diaby
The glory days at the turn of the century might have softened but Leverkusen Borussia Dortmund is still a blockbuster in German football.
Even with their recent troubles Dortmund are still Germany’s second team, the last to win the title since Bayern Munich’s 8IAR and who, with the talents of Haaland and Sancho, should be far closer to the Bavarian juggernaught.
For Leverkusen it was the turn of the century when player’s with the calibre of Michael Ballack and Zé Roberto were striding round the BayArena in a team known as much for its brilliance as its lack of bottle – Leverkusen lost a chance of winning the treble in 2002 losing the final of both the German Cup, the Champions League (that Zidane goal at Hampden) and the lead in Bundesliga on the final day of the season to…Borussia Dortmund.
Since then for Leverkusen things haven’t gone bad – four top five finishes in the last five years and players such as Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz coming through the ranks.
Havertz is no longer there but Wirtz has exploded onto the scene this season scoring goals and providing assists on the pitch, whilst, at the tender age of 17, tackling his school work off it.
It was Wirtz who got the first sighter at goal, a 25 yard Ronaldo-esque spinner punched away by Burki on 2’.
Borussia Dortmund’s sluggishness in first halves, coupled with the calibre of opponent and the fact this fixture always produces goals (3 a game average) meant the BlackYellows could not depend on shutting out the opposition and wait for their striking talent to come to life. Moussa Diaby’s exquisite touch and finish off Leon Bailey’s pass on 14’ made certain of that.
Without Giovanni Reyna, who hadn’t recovered from illness in time to start, and having to negotiate two games in two days, Dortmund lacked energy and were being dominated by Leverkusen.
It was the Werkself who get the next opportunity. Dortmund stood off Florian Wirtz on the edge of the box and, the midfield wonderkid showing the calmness of the “Little Kaiser” himself, fed it wide to Diaby who powered a shot at Birki which was well saved.
It was Diaby again who got the next chance, powering past Hummels as the German tried to shield the ball and blasting another shot, again straight at Burki.
Diaby got another shot in on 40’, a 25 yard zinger parried away by Burki.
Dortmund’s first half performance was summed up by Thomas Delaney’s flailing arms as he gestured to his forwards for help when trying to bring the ball out the back.
2nd half: Dortmund wake up then fall asleep again
Diaby continued as he left off in the beginning of the second half, with power poise and pace. Four minutes in he dispossessed Julien Brandt, dribbled half the length of the pitch, squeezing between Guerreiro and Delaney, and released it to Bailey. The BVB defence inexplicably stepped off the Jamaican hitman who had time and space to shoot but curled over from 18 yards.
Dortmund were trying to wake their teenagers up. Bellingham threaded in Reus who pulled off a nice turn in the box but laid it behind Guerreiro when teeing him up to shoot. Then Sancho, like all temperamental adolescences, screamed to the heavens seeing his lay-off to Menuier on the right of Hradecky’s six yard box sliced over by the Belgian.
Julian Brandt made over a 150 appearances for Leverkusen before switching to the Black and Yellow so it would have to be him who scored the equaliser, which he did, the German finishing from 20 yards after great work by Sancho on the wing and the ball somehow staying in play on the byline between Guerriero and Tah.
With 25’ to go it was Leverkusen who now looked tired having to withstand wave after wave of Dortmund attacks. Bellingham’s dink across goal almost set Brandt up for a second. Sancho fumed at shooting wide from the penalty spot after being laid on by Reus.
Sancho seemed vexed during the entire evening and was less than impressed at making way for the returning Reyna with just under 20’ to go.
The winner was both sublime and controversial. Meunier making a mess of his pass allowed substitute Schick to deflect the ball in the path of Diaby who played it across to Wirtz, the teenage wonderkid finishing confidently with a powerful strike into the corner from the edge of the box.
Controversy arose when replays suggested Schick was offside but there was no check on the goal and it stood.
MOTM: Moussa Diaby
Four shots on target in the first half. His touch for the goal was exquisite and the finish cool, threading it through the legs of Burki. Set up the winner. Dortmund simply could not handle the power of the former PSG midfielder’s running game.
Bayer Leverkusen, 4-3-3: Hradecky (GK), Tah, Bender (C), Bailey, Amiri, Tapsoba, Alario (->69′), Wendell (->60′), Diaby, Aranguiz, Wirtz
Subs: Lomb (GK), Dragovic, Demirbay, Schick (->69′), Jedvaj, Sinkgraven (->60′), Fosu-Mensah, Gedikli
BVB, 4-2-3-1: Burki (GK), Hummels, Delaney, Guerreiro, Akanji, Bellingham (->83′), Meunier, Reus (C) (->89′), Sancho (->73′), Brandt, Haaland
Subs: Hitz (GK), Morey, Dahoud, Moukoko (->83′), Schulz, Reyna (->73′), Piszczek, Renier, Tigges (->89′)
Goals: Diaby 14’, Brandt 67’, Wirtz 80’
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 