Borussia Dortmund showed impressive character to register a 3:1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt after a week full of desolating events. The Black and Yellows took an early lead through Marco Reus in the third minute before Marco Fabian’s long range effort, levelled the scoreline. Sokratis then got into the act with his sumptuous effort to take back the lead before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added more gloss to the scoreline with his delicious finish at the end.
The win sets the stage perfectly for the encounter next week against Hoffenheim as the third place will be at stake. Here are the Dortmund players rated in their win over the Eagles.
Roman Burki(7.5/10): Could have done a better job of keeping out Fabian’s long range effort but the Swiss goalkeeper did a great job to deny Mijat Gacinovic due to his amazing reflexes. Good game for the former Freiburg goalkeeper.
Lukasz Piszczek(7/10): Wasn’t as ideal a performance as he would have like, especially after making a big mistake against Monaco in midweek.
Sokratis(9/10): ‘Papa’ once again caught the eye with his unmatched commitment and effort. The Greek defender ran a fair way out to drill one defender before unleashing a powerful strike to restore Dortmund’s lead in the first half. He has been undoubtedly one of Dortmund’s best players this season.
Sven Bender(8/10): Bender did a great job as long as he was on the pitch. The 27-year-old was impressive with his tackling and positioning before he got substituted after the first half due to safety measures.
Christian Pulisic(7.5/10): Due to his blistering form against Monaco, Pulisic was rewarded with a start against Frankfurt. The American caused a lot of trouble in the first half and also assisted the first goal for Marco Reus but his form started to fade away in the second half.
Julian Weigl(7.5/10): Chose to play the game in a risky way as the 21-year-old suddenly started to go forward in regular intervals which also affected his passing. Some of his passes though were world class and helped Dortmund seize the opposition defence.
Nuri Sahin(8/10): Was sensational in the middle of the park. Sahin’s neat footwork combined with his array of passing abilities were on the show last night as it reminded everyone of his capabilities.
Marcel Schmelzer(7.5/10): A much better performance from the Dortmund vice captain who seemed comfortable playing as a left wingback. He would have been much more influential had he managed to keep his composure with his play on the left flank.
Shinji Kagawa(8.5/10): Great game as always for the Japanese International. He was the focal point of the Dortmund attack throughout the game and his neat play helped Dortmund emerge through a sturdy Frankfurt defence.
Marco Reus(8.5/10): Came back after injury and scored just after three minutes! The German International is really a fantastic asset for his club and country. Reus will sure play a key role against Monaco in the second leg of the UCL tie.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(8.5/10): Although the Gabonese international hasn’t been able to put his name on to scoresheet many times in these past few matches, the 27-year-old plays a key role in keeping the opposition defence busy. He got rewarded for his work ethic with a goal right at the end as he levels up with Robert Lewandowski as the leading scorer in the Bundesliga(26 each).
Subs
Ousmane Dembele(8/10): Came on for Marco Reus as Thomas Tuchel already had one eye on that UCL fixture against Monaco next week. The Frenchman showed great composure to assist Aubameyang right at the depth and was also useful in BVB’s offensive game throughout.
Matthias Ginter(7.5/10): Replaced Sven Bender but surprisingly, had no trouble in keeping the defence in tip-top shape.
Gonzalo Castro(NA): Gave Weigl a breather as he came on for the 21-year old in the 76th minute.
