Borussia Dortmund stumble to a 2-2 draw with relegation candidates 1.FC Koln despite a brace from Erling Haaland.
Borussia Dortmund suffer a massive setback in their hopes of securing a top-four finish, following a 2-2 draw with 1.FC Koln on Saturday. It was a disappointing result for the club, who are now trailing fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt by four points.
The draw also continues their poor away form under Edin Terzic, even though BVB had started the game emphatically by netting the early goal through Erling Haaland. Koln, though, deserve credit for not falling apart as they stuck to their shape, offering very little space in between the lines to their opposition.
The Billygoats were eventually rewarded when Jude Bellingham’s handball led to a penalty in the 35th minute. Ondrej Duda made no mistake in converting the resultant spot-kick, levelling the scoring heading into half-time.
In the second half, Koln started to show more attacking intent, unsettling the Dortmund backline, at times. The Black and Yellows, on the other hand, desperately looked to restore their lead. However, a defensive mistake from Thomas Meunier allowed Ismail Jakobs to pull Koln in front.
Dortmund then pushed for a late equaliser and were somewhat lucky when a cross from Ansgar Knauff somehow found Erling Haaland, helping them salvage at least a point. And here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Borussia Dortmund players in their disappointing draw with Koln this weekend.
Marwin Hitz: 6/10
Marwin Hitz may have done a little better in keeping out the second goal from Koln, although, in his defence, it was a vicious strike from Jakobs. The Dortmund ‘keeper had absolutely awful defensive support around him, with the Swiss international often having to clear out balls due to opposing pressure. Not the best of games by any means.
Thomas Meunier: 4/10
Filling in for the injured Mateu Morey, Thomas Meunier was below par, as any Dortmund fan would expect. The experienced right-back looked sloppy with his back passes and showed a calamitous defensive display when the ball deflected off him to clear the route for Jakobs. Nowhere near quality enough to be starting for Dortmund.
Dear Borussia Dortmund,
This is Ansgar Knauff, a better RB than Meunier, Please use him as the bench option from now on ??
— ?? (@Fs_BVB) March 20, 2021
Emre Can: 6.5/10
Emre Can had a dream start to the game when one of his long balls found Haaland for the opener. The German, though, could never replicate that precision in his passes throughout the remainder of the game. Defensively, he wasn’t particularly rattled, but his usual essence in the build-up was missing.
Mats Hummels: 6/10
It was a bad day at the office for Mats Hummels, who looked frustrated by the poor positioning of the central midfielders. Unlike Can, the veteran centre-back failed to provide any defence threading through balls, but his positioning and ability to read the game was critical in neutralising the threat from Koln, at times.
Nico Schulz: 5/10
Nico Schulz had an awful game at left-back, basically failing to offer quality whatsoever with the ball. He looked clueless in possession, which was coupled with a horrendous sense of awareness. As a result, he slowed down the Dortmund build-up play, although the defender did register the fastest speed for any BVB player in the Bundesliga this season.
Mahmoud Dahoud: 6.5/10
It was a rare evening where the in-form Mahmoud Dahoud struggled to control the game in the middle of the park. His passes weren’t coming off as he would have liked, although Koln do deserve credit for restricting his influence. Perhaps Edin Terzic’s men were missing someone like Thomas Delaney who could have helped Dahoud become more expressive with the ball.
Giovanni Reyna: 5/10
Giovanni Reyna was reinstated into the starting eleven after a bad spell since the turn of the year. The youngster, though, failed to redeem himself, producing yet another below-par attacking display. He looked out of ideas and was often hurried and hassled whenever in possession. Not a good sign for Dortmund at all.
Gio Reyna — is that you? ? pic.twitter.com/lo2ExS8tZl
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) March 20, 2021
Julian Brandt: 4/10
Julian Brandt was given a start after starring in the win over Hertha Berlin. However, the German simply couldn’t capitalise on that performance and once again looked clueless in possession. He lost the ball more often than any other Borussia Dortmund player in the first-half, eventually getting subbed off at half-time. Moves one step closer towards a Dortmund exit in the summer.
Jude Bellingham: 6/10
Jude Bellingham was culpable for the silly handball that led to the penalty. Aside from that, the midfielder also failed to offer much creativity in the number eight role. He was combative as ever, though, fighting hard to get his team back into the game.
Thorgan Hazard: 5.5/10
Thorgan Hazard failed to offer any penetration on the flanks, in the absence of Jadon Sancho and Marco Reus. The Belgian simply wasn’t good enough to rip through the Koln defence and certainly needs more game-time to settle in, after a long injury lay-off.
Erling Haaland: 7/10
Erling Haaland started the game brilliantly, showing excellent composure to find that breakthrough. After that goal, though, the Norwegian international was kept at arm’s length by the Koln defence. The striker himself looked uncharacteristically sloppy, even though he did just enough to seal a late goal and save one point for his side.
Erling Haaland is now the youngest player to ever score 34 Bundesliga goals ???
And he's done it in just 36 games ? pic.twitter.com/HdiVd7aDiC
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) March 21, 2021
Substitutes
Youssoufa Moukoko: 7/10
Youssoufa Moukoko replaced Brandt at half-time, in order to revitalise the Dortmund attack. The 16-year-old made an instant impact as well, showcasing his speed and dynamism throughout the next 45 minutes. He may have done a lot better with his finishing, though, after being handed two excellent opportunities.
Reinier: 5/10
Reinier was brought in for Reyna midway through the second half. The on-loan Real Madrid playmaker didn’t offer too much, as usual, and his future at Dortmund remains uncertain.
Ansgar Knauff: N/A
Ansgar Knauff made his Bundesliga debut by replacing Meunier late in the game. In under ten minutes offered more penetration than Hazard did for the entire game, eventually bagging an assist for the late goal. Did not play enough to warrant a rating, but certainly deserves more game-time during the remainder of the campaign.
Manuel Akanji: N/A
A late replacement for Dahoud. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
