/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58554837/913497884.jpg.0.jpg)
Borussia Dortmund were victorious in a match that was a sure nail biter from beginning to end. Michy Batshuayi started in his first game for the Black and Yellows, and the starting lineup looked good all around.
Match Facts
Jeremy Toljan put in some great work on the left wing and slotted the ball in to Batshuayi (his name is already getting exhausting to type) who put it into the back of net. This is the approximate moment that Dortmund fans all around went nuts. Later, the exact same thing happened, and for a moment it seemed that Dortmund was up by two goals, only for VAR to deem Batshuayi inches offside. The first half of the match ended 1-0.
15 minute into the second half, BVB’s defense let Bürki down when Simon Zoller equalized off a rebound after the goalkeeper made the initial save. Luckily, it would only take two minutes for Christian Pulisic to assist Batshuayi in scoring a second goal on his debut. In the 70th minute, Jorge Mere scored for Köln off a corner kick header to once again bring the two teams level. With a few minutes left to go, Borussia Dortmund began an attack with the ball down the pitch. Michy Batshuayi gave the ball to André Schürrle, who took it down inside the edge of the box and fired toward goal, taking a deflection on its way into the back of the net. After that, Jadon Sancho came off the pitch after having some problems with his ankle, and Dortmund were down to ten men. Köln tried and tried, but were unable to break through Dortmund’s bus parking, and the match ended in a 3-2 victory.
Talking Points
Many exciting things happened in this match. Michy Batshuayi immediately got a starting spot in Dortmund, and repaid the favor by netting a brace and getting an assist, meaning he was directly involved with every goal the team scored. Man of the match performance for the loanee. Let’s hope that form continues, as Borussia Dortmund has a tough schedule ahead. André Schürrle scored his first goal in months, and you could see the absolute joy on his face after it happened. Manuel Akanji was also able to make his debut for the club, coming on in the last few minutes to help with the defensive effort to hold on to the one goal lead. Borussia Dortmund still made defensive errors throughout the game, but I suppose that’s to be expected. If we have an attack that is able to consistently score more than we concede, we’re going to do just fine.
Let us know what you think below! What was your favorite goal? Moment of the match? My personal favorite was Sokratis turning into Superman defending the goal.