Borussia Dortmund vs Borussia Monchengladbach
Borussia Dortmund welcomed Borussia Monchengladbach to the Signal Iduna park. They wanted to put their Europa league humiliation behind them. BVB suffered a ghastly defeat at the hands of Scottish giants Rangers at home.
They came into this tie in desperate need of all three points. After watching Bayern Munich run riot to a 4-1 win against Greuther Furth, they need a win to keep up the title chase.
Borussia Dortmund struggle for consistency. Somehow, they always manage to lose ground during the season and allow Bayern Munich to have an easy run. After a healthy run of form in January, the Black and Yellows started the month with a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen.
Marco Rose‘s job is not at risk right now, but a few losses here and there can change the tide. He had to navigate a victory against his former side Borussia Monchengladbach. The black and yellows also wanted retribution because they were beaten in the reverse fixture by a lone goal. The defeat helped Bayern Munich extend their lead in the Bundesliga title chase.
Meanwhile, Borussia Monchengladbach traveled to the Signal Iduna park on the back of their first win in five matches across all competitions.
Since taking over from Marco Rose, Adi Hutter and Borussia Monchengladbach have endured a poor season. They are currently languishing in 13th place in the Bundesliga and are four points above the relegation zone.
A spirited 3-2 win over FC Augsburg last weekend could give The Foals the momentum they need to take on Dortmund.
The Foals have won their last two fixtures against BVB. Although, both wins came at Borussia Park.
First Half
Der BVB showed their desperation for all three points early in the game. After only six minutes, Donyell Malen and Gio Reyna had spurned chances to give Dortmund an early lead. Malen dragged his shot just wide from inside the box. Gio Reyna latched on to a precise pass, but his first-time shot was denied by Yann Sommer.
Gladbach settled into the game after surviving an early onslaught. The game was evenly matched in terms of possession and both teams looked like scoring. It was end-to-end stuff typical Bundesliga style. Rising star Kouadio Kone drew a smart save from Gregor Kobel with a low shot.
Just before the half-hour mark, it was Marco Rose’s men who broke the deadlock. Malen, after being through on goal, was denied by Yann Sommer. His save fell kindly for the veteran Marco Reus, who smashed it home. 1-0.
BVB were almost pegged back immediately after their opener. Die Borussen looked for a quick response, but Gregor Kobel pulled off a stunning save to deny Jonas Hofmann from inside the box.
Two minutes later, Malen was through on goal again. This time from a well-weighted Marco Reus pass. Yann Sommer could not deny the Netherlands international as he slotted home to double his side’s lead. 2-0. Alarm bells start ringing!
Monchengladbach had opportunities to get back into the game, but their finishing let them down. Jonas Hoffman missed a sitter first before Florian Neuhaus. The German youngster volleyed from point-blank range, but his shot was straight down the middle and was stopped by Kobel. Monchengladbach had a penalty shout, but the referee wasn’t interested. Dortmund’s center and defense have been porous all season, and it was showing again. Der BVB were just more clinical. Despite having equal shots on target, Dortmund went into halftime with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Second Half
Malen spurned yet another chance to extend Der BVB’s lead. He dragged his shot just wide before Jonas Hoffman rattled the crossbar with a bullet shot.
Dortmund established dominance when they hit Gladbach twice in four minutes. Marius Wolf and Youssoufa Moukoko came off the bench to extend Dortmund’s lead. 3-0 & 4-0. Take that! Marco Reus set both goals up. The 32-year-old unselfishly teed up Marius Wolf, who smashed his shot in off the bar, before setting up Moukoko for Dortmund’s fourth.
Marco Rose’s men were relentless. They showed no signs of slowing down. Julian Brandt shot through a crowd of players and forced a save from Yann Sommer before Marco Reus doubled his tally. Mats Hummers slipped him through. He darted into the box to unleash a shot into the bottom corner. 5-0!!! Mayday!! Mayday!!!
Mahmoud Dahoud then found Brandt with a precise pass. The German got his shot away, but it was a whisker above the crossbar. To rub salt in Gladbach’s wounds, Dortmund were awarded a late penalty. Emre Can took responsibility and slotted home to complete the rout.
Die Borussen were made to rue missed chances in the worst possible way. Their poor defending meant they kept giving, and Dortmund didn’t stop taking.
Marco Reus put in a Legend’s shift as Borussia Dortmund ran Borussia Monchengladbach riot at the Signal Iduna Park. He scored twice and had a hat trick of assists. The captain inspired Der BVB to a smashing victory. Marco Rose’s men have now extended their extraordinary Bundesliga record against Der Borussen. They have won 16 of their last 17 ties on home soil.
