Man of the Match Poll: Borussia Dortmund Claim Victory Over Visitors Arminia Bielefeld

Borussia Dortmund huffed and puffed during the first half of their match with Arminia Bielefeld but were not able to break down the visitors, despite some very good attacking play. That narrative quickly changed in the 48th minute when Mahmoud Dahoud scored from 20 yards afterJadon Sancho broke free down the left side, juked some defenders and laid off a brilliant assist. Just ten minutes later, Jadon Sancho doubled the lead from the spot after Marco Reus was brought down in the penalty area.

The match also marked returns to action for both Thorgan Hazard and Dan-Axel Zagadou and while both players looked sharp, it was a different substitution that really caught the eye. Coming on for Marco Reus in the 80th minute, rarely-used talent Reinier Jesus scored his debut goal after only 22 seconds on the pitch. A brilliant attacking move was finished by Reinier following a nutmeg assist from the unselfish Erling Haaland.

Photo by Marius Becker - Pool/Getty Images

Here are the candidates for Man of the Match:

Jadon Sancho

Absolutely sensational from Sancho yet again. At the heart of most of the attacking moves, the Englishman was superb in build-up, passing, dribbling at defenders and his passing. After assisting Dahoud’s opener, Sancho stuck away the awarded penalty with calmness and ease, squashing any questions over who should be taking spot kicks moving forward. We honestly do not talk about his effort in tracking back enough either as he covered well when Raphael Guerreiro was caught out on the overlap. Oh, and he is now the youngest Bundesliga player to 50 league assists. The rumors of his demise are greatly exaggerated.

Mahmoud Dahoud

Another Dahoud start, another BVB win. Coincidence? Dahoud is in brilliant form right now and is un-droppable for Edin Terzic’s side. He took his goal really well after Sancho created the space and drew the defenders away. With Dahoud playing in the deeper role in the midfield, I was worried if he would have the discipline to play the holding role and not get caught out, but for most of the match Dahoud snuffed out most Bielefeld attacks before they reached the back line. The German midfielder looks to be an integral part of this team now.

Mateu Morey

The Spanish full back has not had a great season but has really come alive the last couple of matches. After Emre Can started multiple matches at right back it looked as if the writing was on the wall, but now Morey has put in a couple of good performances. Morey was brilliant in his ball progression playing clever one-two’s with Reus on the right side and was a constant threat down that flank throughout the game and was unlucky not to have an assist in the first half. Solid defensively as well, Morey pressed well to win the ball high up the pitch, and when it failed was able to hustle back and limit Bielefeld going forward, a very good display today.

Emre Can

This is two matches in a row that the German powerhouse has started at center back next to Mats Hummels, and he made it two straight clean sheets. Can was an absolute warrior today and while this last spot almost went to Marco Reus who was everywhere attacking-wise, Can solidified his spot late in the match with a phenomenal sliding tackle in his own box to keep the clean sheet. His passing is not as good as Hummels or the injured Manuel Akanji, but Can brings a much tougher mentality to the back line which is proving vital at the moment.