Man of the Match Poll: Borussia Dortmund Allegedly Played VfL Bochum Today

It’s been 10+ years since these teams faced off and we probably would have liked to go another 10 years if it meant today’s mess didn’t happen. If your experience was like mine, the Little Revierderby was one rife with uninspired play and massive technical difficulties.

It started with the squads coming out of that weird underground pitch entrance, which ended up being quite the allegory as BVB’s play was kind of zombie-like. There were flashes of what we’ve come to expect from this squad: good runs from Jude Bellingham and playmaking from Marco Reus. Even Nico Schulz turned in a couple of nice moments which earned his “speed demon” moniker from match commentator Dan O’Hagan.

As the game continued, international fans were faced with a magnitude of match feed disruptions. When the Spanish feed was functional, the viewer was subjected to a never-ending cycle of match highlights. It was quite alarming to lose the feed only to have it restored as they were replaying the Bochum goal for the umpteenth time, leading the viewer to think Bochum goals were raining down!

According to BVB football Twitter:

1. Gregor Kobel made a grotesque error which resulted in a penalty for Bochum
2. Marius Wolf’s unicorn goal which was ruled out
3. The concussed Julian Brandt equalized

For a match where BVB managed to escape with a point, I have to say that my Man of the Match is the collective top brass at EPSN+ who spared me from having to witness what is being dubbed the #DerKlassikerHangover, but my editor requires me to provide an actual poll...see below!