Man of the Match Poll: Borussia Dortmund Grind Out Victory Over Union Berlin

It wasn’t especially pretty, but then you don’t go into a game against Union Berlin expecting an easy ride. Borussia Dortmund managed to grind out a 2-0 victory against Union, but the scoreline might be a little flattering to Union, as BVB easily could have scored a couple more.

BVB went up 1-0 after a pretty soft penalty was given for Union’s goalkeeper brushing by Marco Reus’s foot. Luthe saved the resulting Haaland penalty, but Reus was able to follow up and finish the rebound. BVB held on to a 1-0 lead for much of the game, but were unable to extend it despite many chances to do so.

It was only once Jadon Sancho came on that things started to feel a little less nervy, and in the dying minutes of the game, Sancho kicked off a counter that saw Rapha Guerreiro finish off a Julian Brandt pass, putting the game to bed.

There were few truly standout performers tonight, but equally, no one performed terribly . Here are my nominations for man of the match:

Marco Reus

Got the goal (after a dive for the pen, but we’ll ignore that) and was solid throughout.

Gio Reyna

Could easily have had a couple goals and a couple assists tonight. He was really, really lively, and looked much more like the Reyna we were seeing earlier in the season.

Jadon Sancho

Look, I know he was only on the pitch for 30 minutes, but he was the best player on the pitch when he was out there. When Sancho was in possession they had absolutely no answer for anything he did. It’s great to see him back in the team.

Jude Bellingham

Busy as ever. This dude never stops. He works so hard every second he is on the pitch. He was vital in this kind of game. Despite being just 17 years old, he is developing into a real leader.