Borussia Dortmund suffered a disappointing defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Bayern Munich, as they bow out in the third of the DFB Pokal. The Black and Yellows were coming on the back of two consecutive wins, prior to the encounter but failed to keep their momentum impact as they slumped against the mighty Bavarians.
That being said, however, Peter Stoger’s side looked quite impressive in the second half, following an awful first half. They trailed the German league leaders 2:0 at halftime but somehow managed to pressurize Bayern later on, which eventually helped them get back into the game in the second half. At the end, however, it was just too much for BVB, who will be looking for a major recovery in the second half the season after a wretched Bundesliga Hinrunde.
Here are the Dortmund players rated in their defeat against Bayern.
Roman Burki (9.5/10):
By far the best Dortmund player on the night had it not been for Roman Burki, the visiting Dortmund have conceded at least five goals against the mighty Bavarians. He made some stunning saves throughout the game to keep his side in the contest.
Jeremy Toljan (7.5/10):
Got deployed as a right wingback but failed to cope with the likes of Franck Ribery and David Alaba, which eventually lead to a series of attacks from the home side. His performance significantly improved second half, however.
Sokratis (8/10):
Looked very composed in central defence as he made some great tackles to keep out the threat of Robert Lewandowski.
Omer Toprak (8/10):
Played very well alongside Sokratis in central defence. The Turkish International looked very confident in his tackling as well as his overall passing.
Marc Bartra (6.5/10):
Peter Stoger was forced to start with Marc Bartra, which proved to be a horrible decision by the former Koln manager. He was immediately taken off even before halftime.
Marcel Schmelzer (7/10):
Looked very rusty throughout the game, especially with his questionable passes and late movements.
Julian Weigl (8/10):
Didn’t get many opportunities to showcase his talents in the first half but the German International made a huge impact in the second half, where his secure passing and sleek movements helped BVB dominate their opposition.
Shinji Kagawa (8.5/10):
Was absolutely awful in the first half but as the game progressed, the Japanese International made an enormous impact in the game. In fact, he was probably BVB’s best player in the second half, often being the main creative spark in the attacking third.
Raphael Guerreiro (6.5/10):
Looked very untidy in possession and completely failed to cope with the well-structured pressing of Bayern. He was rightfully subbed off just before the hour mark.
Christian Pulisic (8.5/10):
The focal point of the BVB attack, all eyes were on Pulisic to deliver that magical footballing glimpse and the American didn’t disappoint either. He was a real menace for the Bayern defence throughout the game and looked very dangerous on the ball.
Andriy Yarmolenko (7.5/10):
An improved performance from the Ukrainian International who was heavily criticized for his lack of goal-scoring prowess.
Substitutes
Mahmoud Dahoud (8/10):
Replaced Marc Bartra in the 34th minute, which proved to be the game-changing decision from Peter Stoger. Dahoud’s dynamism in the midfield helped the Ruhr giants dominate their opposition in the second half.
Andre Schurrle (7/10):
Supported the BVB attackers rather well after coming on for Raphael Guerreiro just before the hour mark.
Alexander Isak (N/A):
Missed a huge opportunity to score the equalizer right at the death where his shot was saved by Sven Ulreich. That proved to be the last chance for BVB to get back into the contest.
