Match Recap: BVB embarrass themselves against APOEL

APOEL Nicosia is not a bad team. They are a scrappy team and can be a very uncomfortable opponent, especially at home. Over the years they have managed to annoy several big teams in European competitions and definitely deserve some respect.

With all that being said, this is one of the most embarrassing moments in Borussia Dortmund’s recent history. It’s not just about the terrible result but mostly about the disheartening and shocking performance from the team, particularly considering what was on the line in this game. BVB can kiss any chance of advancing to the knockout rounds goodbye with this draw, even the Europa League is in serious doubt at this point.

Dortmund controlled the midfield and as a result the game for the entire 90 minutes but they never actually created any scoring chances. Kagawa and Götze kept possession but looked out of ideas while both wingers, Yarmolenko and Pulisic lacked precision and virtually lost every single 1-on-1 situation they had. Therefore Aubameyang looked lost for most of the game, sitting up front waiting for opportunities that never arrived and in the extremely rare occasions that they did he immediately fumbled it.

As these things often go, the situation seemed to completely spiral out of control when Poté scored for APOEL in the 62nd minute. The Cypriot team hadn’t done much on offense themselves up to this point but were able to capitalize off of a mistake from Bürki. The sequence which led to the goal saw the Swiss goalkeeper completely panic twice in the span of five seconds and hand Poté the ball on a silver platter.

Luckily for BVB they were able to equalize just five minutes later after a set-piece. Sokratis scored on a header to avoid a complete disaster for Dortmund, although this isn’t far from it.

Three days after the home loss to RB Leipzig, coach Peter Bosz was not able to get this team ready to compete and he has to come up with some ideas or his tenure with the black and yellows will be a short one.