Man of the Match Poll: Borussia Dortmund’s Stellar Second Half Steamrolls RB Leipzig

Borussia Dortmund got a much-needed three points against one of their biggest league rivals, RB Leipzig, with an enthralling second half performance spearheaded by Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland. It was the return of the Borussia Dortmund we know and love: they pressed high, moved the ball quickly, and ripped Leipzig apart around the penalty area.

While the first half was a dreary affair, with both teams largely cancelling each other out in midfield, and a total of 0.1 expected goals between them, the second half was anything but boring. Coming out of the half, Borussia Dortmund played arguably the best half of football that we’ve seen in a long time, and were rewarded handsomely with three gorgeous goals. A late consolation goal from RB Leipzig did little to spoil the party.

In my opinion, there are four clear nominees for man of the match today. Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho are the obvious choices, with the former notching two goals, and the latter notching a goal and an assist. I’d also like to nominate Marco Reus, who put in one heck of a sweeping defensive effort in the first half and notched a pair of assists on Sancho’s goal and Haaland’s second.

The other player who I thought deserves recognition is Thomas Meunier. Going into the match, I was dreading the idea of Meunier facing off against Leipzig’s star full back Angeliño in a one-on-one duel. In the end, Meunier proved me wrong, as he kept Angeliño in his pocket practically all night, and for the first time he seemed really effective going forward.

Here is the man of the match poll: