Borussia Dortmund reached the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal for the sixth successive time after smashing third division Sportfreunde Lotte 3:0 on Tuesday. The Black and Yellows had a hit and miss game, as they pounced on the opposition after a goalless first half. Christian Pulisic’s opener along with Andre Schurrle’s tap in killed the game, while Marcel Schmelzer scored a free kick late on to add more gloss to the scoreline.
Here are the Dortmund player ratings in their triumph over SF Lotte.
Roman Burki(8.5/10): Was excellent in goal! Due to the extreme vulnerability of the Dortmund defence in front of him. Had to make an extraordinary save to keep out Lotte’s Tim Wendel. A well deserved clean sheet for the Swiss International.
Lukasz Piszczek(7.5/10): The Polish defender was decent in defence. Had a few nervy moments in the first half.
Matthias Ginter(6.5/10): Even against a third division opponent, Ginter did his best to look awful in defence for Dortmund. The former Freiburg man was responsible two of Hertha’s goal in the weekend, against Lotte, he also looked extremely sloppy.
Marc Bartra(7.5/10): Tried to be imposing on the back with numerous laser passes into the opposition half. Defensively, he was fairly obsolete.
Marcel Schmelzer(9/10): Scored from a marvellous free kick. Although Lotte goalkeeper Benedikt Fernandes could have done better in keeping out the shot. Nevertheless, it was a great performance from the German fullback.
Christian Pulisic(9.5/10): It was a fantastic night for the Christian Pulisic. The American International was always a key figure in Dortmund’s attack. His calm finish in the second half broke the deadlock for the Lotte defence.
Gonzalo Castro(7.5/10): Missed the services of Julian Weigl alongside, which did affect the performance of the former Bayer midfielder. However, that’s not to say he has been awful at all. He played a vital role in midfield.
Ousmane Dembele(8/10): After being suspended for Friday’s clash against Freiburg, Dembele wanted to traumatise the Lotte defence with his dribbling down the middle. One would say, that the former Rennes winger was a tad too selfish in his game but it was evident that he was too much for the opposition defence.
Shinji Kagawa(8.5/10): Showed that his exceptional performance last time around wasn’t a one-off as the Japanese playmaker simply romped as the centre attacking midfielder, creating numerous amount of chances in the final third.
Raphael Guerreiro(7.5/10): Got an unfortunate yellow card in the seventh minute which affected his game throughout the duration of the match. But his quality was always an advantage for Thomas Tuchel’s men. He won back possession to start the counter attack which led to the Dortmund opener in the second half.
Andre Schurrle(7.5/10): Managed to score from an easy volley to give the visitors a 2:0 cushion. His shot rolled through the legs of the defender and the goalkeeper in the process.
