Match Ratings: Borussia Dortmund Stumble into the DFB Pokal Quarterfinals

If Borussia Dortmund are going to win silverware this season, it is more than likely going to be the DFB Pokal. At this point, it looks like they are too far off the pace in the Bundesliga to mount a realistic challenge, and the way they’ve been playing under Edin Terzic, it’s very hard to see them winning the Champions League. So that leaves the Pokal. They almost blew their shot at that trophy yesterday.

They just about survived to live another day, stumbling past Paderborn in what has become typical BVB fashion, but it’s hard to argue they deserved the victory. Paderborn played with heart, courage, and an admirable amount of skill and creativity for a 2. Bundesliga side facing one of the top flight’s powerhouses. Dortmund put in an embarrassing display, but they somehow survived to proceed to the quarter finals of the cup. They will surely need to improve if they are going to go any further.

Here are our ratings from yesterday’s game...

Starting XI

Marwin Hitz

Paul: 7

The life of a goalkeeper is hard. Hitz did so well, but for one mistake, which let Paderborn back into the game, and gave them the push they needed to mount a comeback.

Sarah: 6

Sean M: 6

Hitz was having a solid match until he let in the first goal. I understand that he was anticipating a deflection, but he still needs to stop that shot.

Emre Can

Paul: 7

Sarah: 8

Being hit with the news that Hummels would be unavailable yesterday was a blow. But, Emre “Candyman” Can (please, can we get that nickname going?) filled those boots and then some. His calls to the team to focus and stay centered were critical to their success. And I may, or may not, but definitely did lose it when he scored in the sixth minute.

Sean M: 8

In my opinion Can was the man of the match. He got the team off to a flying start with his goal and his leadership on the defensive end was needed in Hummels’ absence yesterday.

Manuel Akanji

Paul: 5

Sarah: 5

Sean M: 7

He routinely won the ball in the opposition half and had some nice switches of play. I would have liked to see him be more effective in the air, especially with Hummels out injured. However, his aerial abilities leave a lot to be desired.

Lukasz Piszczek

Paul: 5

Sarah: 5

Sean M: 5

A forgettable performance. His lack of pace was close to being exposed several times yesterday.

Mateu Morey

Paul: 5

Paderborn had too much success getting in behind Morey in the first half. All of their best chances came from exploiting gaps between him and Piszczek. He left at halftime, having picked up what looked like a muscle injury.

Sarah: 5

Sean M: 5

Nico Schulz

Paul: 5

Schulz coped okay defensively, but he was pretty poor going forward. He was getting in to good positions, but made a few too many wayward passes when he was there.

Sarah: 6

This might be a bit generous, given that Schulz generally comes up just short, but he was focused and determined.

Sean M: 5

I was happy to see his name on the team sheet this morning. Raphael Guerreiro has looked exhausted the last two matches and given the opponent, Schulz had his best chance in a while to show what he is capable of. Unfortunately, he didn’t perform. He put forth a good effort but his finishing, decision-making in the attack, and lackadaisical back passes killed several attacking opportunities and led to multiple chances for Paderborn.

Thomas Delaney

Paul: 7

Another really busy performance by Delaney, and just the guy BVB needed in 120 minutes of hard-fought chaos. Incredibly, Delaney even provided two assists!

Sarah: 8

The skipper delivered for the team again in yesterday’s matchup and while the squad seemed all over the place at times, they never looked defeated and Delaney’s leadership on the pitch was the key. One look at his jersey after the final whistle is a testament to his gameplay. And yes...those assists!

Sean M: 7

Jude Bellingham

Paul: 6

Sarah: 6

I really want to rate him higher based on his postgame tweet alone, but I’ll “follow the rules.”

Sean M: 6

Julian Brandt

Paul: 6

Sarah: 5

Sean M: 6.5

Yesterday we saw another glimpse of what Julian Brandt is capable of. We also saw what makes him such a frustrating figure, losing the ball in a compromising position, and then failing to immediately track back. If Brandt had half of Delaney’s grit he would be a world class player.

Jadon Sancho

Photo by INA FASSBENDER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Paul: 7

Sarah: 7

One word sums up Sancho right now: hot. He is riding the confidence wave and we all hope that wave never breaks. His goal was lovely, but fans will be a bit nervous until we know the status of his health after being assisted off the field by BVB staff.

Sean M: 7.5

Erling Haaland

Paul: 7

Sarah: 6

Expectations from fans, teammates and himself are always high for a Haaland appearance and yesterday was no different. He seemed to be involved in almost everything: assists, fouls and (of course) the winning goal! All of these elements combined would be worthy of a highly rated performance, but Haaland was just missing that panache we’re used to.

Sean M: 6

Substitutes

Felix Passlack

Paul: 3

Having struggled throughout the first half, I was sure things would improve when Morey was substituted with an injury at the break. Instead, Passlack was Dortmund’s worst player. He had a hand in both of Paderborn’s goals, and while there was plenty of effort, he lacked the offensive quality to make up for his defensive errors.

Sarah: 2

I was stoked to see him get a chance for some time on the pitch, but his choices resulting in a penalty had immediate, potentially, lasting impacts on his teammates. BVB simply cannot afford risk to injury with as packed a schedule as they have now not to mention qualifying for UCL next season on the line.

Sean M: 4

Poor decision-making on his part in the box led to the penalty at the end of regulation. He put in a decent performance other than that. He will never be a starter, but at this point, I feel he should be above Morey in the pecking order.

Gio Reyna

Paul: 5

Sarah: 5

Sean M: 5

Mahmoud Dahoud

Paul: 7

Sarah: 6.75

Sean M: 6.5

It was great to see him again after his proof of life cameo last Saturday. He looked lively during his 45 minutes. Hopefully, he is clawing his way out of the doghouse. The team could use his creative ability for the rest of the season.

Raphael Guerreiro

N/A

Marco Reus

N/A

Overall

Paul: 4

It was one of those games that was collectively poor, but individually it was a little hard to assign blame. There were one or two players that clearly had bad games, but more than anything, it was a collective failure.

Sarah: 5.5

In a match that felt like riding a rollercoaster, average sums up the performance of the squad yesterday. There definitely were some obvious standouts, but not enough of them to secure the win. Sure, the match was “exciting” to watch, but I think we’d all agree that a solid turn from the BVB squad would allow everyone to breathe a bit easier. (This is my last plug for Bellingham’s postgame tweet.)

Sean M: 6

I am going to choose to be positive after this match. Yes, it was frustrating to see the team surrender the lead on the last kick of the match, but I think the team deserves some credit for finding a way to win. Earlier in the season, the team would have collapsed and lost in extra time. Instead of dropping their heads, they came out strong in extra time and put themselves into the next round of the DFB Pokal.

Your Thoughts?

Do you agree with our ratings? Leave your thoughts below.