Borussia Dortmund stamped their authority in the Bundesliga, with a convincing 5:0 thumping of struggling Cologne on Sunday night late fixture. Braces from star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and new signing Maximilian Philipp sealed the victory for the Black and Yellows. Captain Sokratis also chipped in a goal against a hapless Koln defence.
The victory helps BVB retain their status as league leaders after matchday 4, leading second-placed Hannover 96 with a superior goal difference. Here are the Dortmund player ratings as they smash past Peter Stoger’s men at the Signal Iduna Park.
Roman Burki (7.5/10)
After a tough game against Spurs, the Swiss goalkeeper came back strong to keep his fourth consecutive clean sheet in the Bundesliga. Quite impressively, he is the only goalkeeper yet to concede a goal in the league this season. Although, one would argue that he didn’t really have anything to save against a toothless Koln attack today.
Lukasz Piszczek (8.5/10)
A strong performance from the Polish International, who always had ex-BVB player Leonardo Bittencourt in his grips in the right flank. Assisted Aubameyang for BVB’s fourth of the match, with a delicious cross from the right flank.
Sokratis (9.5/10)
Truly a captain’s performance from the Greek International today, as he completely dominated over the Koln attackers, especially Jhon Cordoba. He was rewarded for his efforts with a goal, just before the half-time whistle to solidify BVB’s lead at half time.
Omer Toprak (8.5/10)
Partnered well alongside Sokratis in the centre of the defence. At times, when Sokratis looked in trouble, Toprak was there to clean the mess up for Dortmund. He was very neat with his passing and distribution overall.
Dan-Axel Zagadou (8/10)
Was preferred over Jeremy Toljan in the left back position and he vindicated that decision with a solid performance. Zagadou was clinical in defending the threat of the Koln attackers on the left wing, while his build-up play was also quite remarkable.
Nuri Sahin (7.5/10)
A relatively quiet game for his standards, but nonetheless, the 29-year-old always had a firm grip in midfield. He was composed in possession and hardly gave the opposition any time to get their feet sorted out in the middle third of the pitch.
Gonzalo Castro (9/10)
Stole the show with an incredibly effective performance in central midfield. Castro often served as the transition man for Dortmund. He was the one bridging the gap from defence to midfield. Things could have been much different without his influence in midfield.
Mahmoud Dahoud (8/10)
Played in a slightly advanced role compared to Sahin and Castro. Dahoud started the game slowly, often struggling to find space and time to work with. However, the new singing from Gladbach started to find his rhythm in the second half. He was a menace in the final third, and his shots caused a lot of troubles for the opposition defence.
Andriy Yarmolenko (8.5/10)
Made quite an impression in his starting debut for Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Yarmolenko’s early cross resulted in the opener from Maximilian Philipp. Despite seeing very less of the ball, the Ukrainian was a massive threat for Koln. His delightful cross from outside of the boot resulted in a handball, which led to Dortmund’s third goal of the match.
Maximillian Philipp (9/10)
A stunning display from the former Freiburg man. Philipp’s flexibility on the final third made him a big threat for the opposition. His runs in behind the defence or his link-up play with the other attackers was a joy to watch. Scored two stunning goals to help Dortmund dominate their opposition. His second goal, in particular, was from a world class finish, as he chipped over the goalkeeper Timo Horn for Dortmund’s fifth.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (9/10)
Started the game slowly, with lack of chances and touches of the ball. However, the Gabonese International found his rhythm as soon as he scored his first goal of the game, converting the penalty in the second half. He scored his second in a typical Aubameyang fashion, latching on to a cross from Piszczek to score his fourth of the season.
Substitutes
Christian Pulisic (7/10)
Replaced Andriy Yarmolenko in the 65th minute to bring more energy into Dortmund’s final third. His mazy runs in behind the defence were troublesome for right back Lukas Klunter.
Julian Weigl (7/10)
It was simply an awesome moment, as Julian Weigl made his comeback from injury after a four-month layoff. He replaced Nuri Sahin in the 65th minute. Though a little bit rusty in his game, people were just glad to see him back in action.
Alexander Isak (NA)
Came on for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in final stages of the game. The Swede didn’t have many opportunities to score unlike his Gabonese team mate but was once presented with a glorious chance to score. Unfortunately, the angle was just too steep for the youngster as he drove his shot well off the target.
