FC Schalke vs Borussia Dortmund player ratings: 9.5/10 Haaland scores wonder goal; 5 or lower for Schalke defenders

Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho starred once again as Borussia Dortmund secured a 4-0 derby win over FC Schalke on Saturday.

Borussia Dortmund piled on the misery for arch-rivals FC Schalke with a comfortable 4-0 victory in the iconic Revierderby. The Saturday evening fixture at the Veltins Arena gifted us with some exquisite play from the away side, much to the dismay of the hosts, who remain rock bottom in the Bundesliga table.

Indeed, the Black and Yellows were in total control of the game, despite a slow start that saw Schalke create a couple of scoring opportunities. The visitors eventually broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute through Jadon Sancho, with Erling Haaland doubling their lead moments before half-time.

The two late first-half goals put Dortmund in the driver’s seat as they continued to dominate the game after the restart. Schalke, in contrast, found it difficult to keep the opposition quiet while struggling to create any quality chances going forward. They deservedly conceded the third around the hour mark when Raphael Guerreiro and Marco Reus combined for an exquisite goal.

Dortmund strolled the ball around a bit during the final phase of the game before adding the final gloss to the scoreline through a 79th-minute strike from Haaland, who doubled his tally to help his team secure an important 4-0 victory at the Veltins Arena.

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Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will take a closer look at how these two sides performed in this 98th Bundesliga rendition of the Revierderby this weekend.

FC Schalke

Ralf Fahrmann: 7.5/10

Ralf Fahrmann looked quite solid in between the sticks for FC Schalke. He made a few fine saves during the early stages of the game but his night was short due to an unfortunate injury. It forced him just after the half-hour mark.

Timo Becker: 4/10

Timo Becker had a frustrating night dealing with the Borussia Dortmund attackers. He couldn’t express much going forward, causing his temper to flare during the dying stages of the game.

Malick Thiaw: 5/10

Malick Thiaw had a miserable night dealing with Erling Haaland. The defender was simply outclassed by the entire Dortmund attack as he failed to provide any solidity at the back.

Bastian Oczipka: 4/10

Bastian Oczipka had to slot in at centre-back due to some late injuries. The left-back struggled to impose his authority in this new role, as this makeshift Schalke backline failed to cope with the mighty BVB attack.

Sead Kolasinac: 4/10

Sead Kolasinac also endured a difficult night against Jadon Sancho & co. His experience and leadership wasn’t enough to help Schalke stage a strong fightback in this game.

Suat Serdar: 5/10

Suat Serdar was a misfit in the Schalke setup as the club’s defensive scheme meant that the midfielder had very little opportunity to showcase his talents going forward.

Benjamin Stambouli: 2/10

Schalke defence was performing decently up until the moment Benjamin Stambouli made an error that left them completely open as Dortmund broke the deadlock out of nowhere. Simply not good enough to play at this level.

Nassim Boujellab: 4/10

Nassim Boujellab was anonymous for the large parts of the game and one should wonder why he was chosen ahead of Nabil Bentaleb in the starting eleven.

William: 6/10

William offered some incisive movements in the final third, feeding off of some of Thiaw’s useful forward balls. His deliveries were a little off, but it was surprising to see him get subbed at half-time.

Matthew Hoppe: 6/10

Matthew Hoppe’s woes in front of goal continued as he once again struggled to find enough to supply. He did have one opportunity when Mats Hummels’ defensive error led to a chance, but his shot was saved.

Amine Harit: 6/10

Amine Harit occasionally showcased his brilliance with some mazy runs forward. However, he wasn’t consistent enough to really trouble the Dortmund backline.

Substitutes

Michael Langer: 5/10

Replaced the injured Fahrmann just after the half-hour. While he shouldn’t the blame for conceding four goals, things may have been much different if the Schalke number one was still in goal.

Alessandro Schopf: 5/10

Alessandro Schopf replaced William at half-time to offer more incisive movements going forward. It didn’t quite work out for coach Christian Gross, however.

Omar Mascarell: 5/10

Omar Mascarell replaced Boujellab at half-time to provide more stability in the Schalke midfield. Unfortunately, the former Real Madrid man failed to impose his presence in the middle of the park.

Benito Raman: 6/10

A late replacement for Hoppe but struggled to test the Dortmund defence with his movements in the final third. Schalke need Klaas Jan-Huntelaar back from injury as soon as possible.

Borussia Dortmund

Marwin Hitz: 7/10

Marwin Hitz deserves some credit for making an excellent save to preserve his clean sheet. He also denied Hoppe on one occasion, helping Dortmund keep Schalke at bay.

Mateu Morey: 8/10

Mateu Morey had a great game in the right-back role. The youngster offered incisive movements going forward, although he was on the end of some rash challenges as the tempers started to play their part in the derby.

Emre Can: 8/10

Emre Can was a rock at the back in the Dortmund defence, making some important blocks and tackles to keep Schalke at bay. He also offered a lot of ball-progression, thus playing a key role in the overall build-up play.

Mats Hummels: 7/10

Mats Hummels made one mistake that could have ended in a goal. Apart from that, he was largely solid in dealing with Hoppe and Harit, using his experience to good effect.

Raphael Guerreiro: 8/10

Raphael Guerreiro had a successful game against Schalke on the left flank. He offered creativity going forward, notably linking up with Reus to score the third goal of the evening.

Thomas Delaney: 8/10

Thomas Delaney produced an excellent display in the middle of the park. The Dane dominated the game with his tackles and interceptions, while his passing was also top-notch, helping Dortmund control the proceedings.

Mahmoud Dahoud: 8.5/10

While Delaney created numerous turnovers, it was Mahmoud Dahoud who orchestrated most of Dortmund’s approach play. His passing, movements and combination play were simply impressive as the midfielder continues his redemption under Edin Terzic.

Jadon Sancho: 9/10

Jadon Sancho was one of the best performers on the pitch, often looking like a menace for the Schalke defence. His trickery and combination play on the flanks saw him not only assist Haaland for the second goal but also score the opener with a decent finish.

Marco Reus: 7.5/10

Marco Reus may not have been as impressive as Sancho, but the Dortmund captain linked up well with his teammates. He eventually created Guerreiro’s goal around the hour-mark, capping off his 300th Bundesliga appearance with a derby win over Schalke.

Julian Brandt: 6/10

Julian Brandt struggled to impose his authority in the final third. He looked clumsy with the ball, as always, failing to settle into the pace of the game. A move away from Signal Iduna Park could be on the horizon for the German.

Erling Haaland: 9.5/10

Erling Haaland was once again the star of the show, scoring one of the goals of the season with a fantastic volley to double Dortmund’s lead just before half-time. He then doubled his own tally with a late tap-in. He has now netted 17 goals in 17 Bundesliga matches this season.

Substitutes

Jude Bellingham: 7.5/10

Jude Bellingham replaced Brandt around the hour-mark, making an instant impact with his energy and aggression. The Englishman also provided the assist for Haaland’s second goal, whipping in a driving cross into the six-yard area.

Giovanni Reyna: N/A

A late replacement for Mo Dahoud. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Reinier: N/A

A late replacement for Reus. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Youssoufa Moukoko: N/A

A late replacement for Delaney. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Thomas Meunier: N/A

A late replacement for Morey. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.