Borussia Dortmund closed the gap between them and second-placed Leipzig to just 3 points after edging out relegation candidates Ingolstadt in a closely fought 1:0 win. The home side took the early lead through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but failed to extend their cushion, missing a lot of scoring chances throughout the game. The win takes BVB closer to sealing a guaranteed CL spot next season. Here are all the Dortmund players rated in their win over Maik Walpurgis’ Ingolstadt.
Roman Burki(9/10): Arguably the best player on the night, Burki’s heroics saved Borussia Dortmund from falling at the hands of FC Ingolstadt. The Swiss goalkeeper made numerous saves throughout the game, including a brilliant save from a Matthew Leckie header. Although he was lucky to get away with the Lezcano incident.
Lukasz Piszczek(7/10): Once again a decent outing for the Polish defender. Piszczek was, however, a little slow in his build up game, as he struggled to distribute the ball due to the high intensity of Ingolstadt. An upgrade for Piszczek could be on the cards for Sporting Director Michael Zorc next summer.
Sokratis(8/10): Showed his resoluteness as he kept the opposition attack out with his physicality and tackling, despite not getting much help from his teammates. The Greek defender has been one of the better players for Dortmund this season.
Matthias Ginter(6.5/10): For the third consecutive time, Ginter was absolutely lacklustre in defence. The former Freiburg man incredibly slow in his ball distribution as well as his defensive awareness. His poor clearance hit Sokratis which resulted in a golden opportunity for Matthew Leckie to equalise but the Australian was not up to the task.
Marcel Schmelzer(7.5/10): Had a rather offensive role to play. Schmelzer did extremely well on the left flank, often playing some neat one-twos with Shinji Kagawa or Raphael Guerrerio on the side. Picked up his second assist of the season with a fine cross to Aubameyang,
Erik Durm(7.5/10): Was also great on the right wing, the 24-year-old reacted well to the opposition pressure and gave his all on the right flank. He also had a couple of niggles in the first half, showcasing his willingness to fight for the team.
Christian Pulisic(7/10): Started in a relatively unfamiliar centre midfield position which did actually affect his style of play as he was often restricted from using his skills to breach the opposition defence at once. Also struggled to distribute the ball from the centre midfield position but was lively throughout the game.
Gonzalo Castro(7/10): Struggled to replicate his usual form without the services of Julian Weigl as the former Leverkusen man was forced to peg back. He was also given very little time to spread the ball. A quiet outing for the 29-year-old midfielder.
Shinji Kagawa(8.5/10): Not as glossy performance as we might have expected from Kagawa but nonetheless, the Japanese midfielder was still the most imposing figure in the Dortmund attack. Often picking out neat little passes to wriggle around the Ingolstadt half space. His perfectly weighted ball freed Schmelzer for the opener.
Raphael Guerreiro(7/10): Failed to show his class, as he was sloppy throughout the game and the compact Ingolstadt formation didn’t help his cause.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(8/10): Was willing to track back to help Dortmund in the build up. Got rewarded for his efforts with a goal in the first half as he applied a smooth finish from a Schmelzer cross. It was his 23rd of the season.
