Three Observations from Dortmund’s 4-2 Victory over Union Berlin

Borussia Dortmund hosted Union Berlin in a match that started as an absolute breeze for the black and yellows. Dortmund jumped out to an early lead thanks to a screamer from Raphael Guerreiro, and by the 52nd minute, they were up 3-0 on the Berliners. However, later in the second half, the defense fell apart, and Dortmund were looking likely to fold under the pressure. Luckily, a ridiculous goal from Erling Haaland secured the three points and sent the Westfalenstadion into rapture. The match finished 4-2 in favor of BVB.

Never Tell Guerreiro the Odds

Expected goals is an often overused stat in modern football, but it’s a great way to measure just how superhuman Raphael Guerreiro’s left foot is. His half volley today is an obvious early contender for goal of the season, and the stats tend to agree with that assessment giving Guerreiro just a 3% chance of scoring. Between the 6% chance he had to score his free-kick goal against Leverkusen and today’s goal, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that xG is a stat that does not apply to the Dortmund left-back. Let's see if he can get down to 1% with his next goal.

Thomas Meunier: Crossing Maestro

If you’re still holding a grudge against Thomas Meunier for last season, I don’t blame you. He was woeful. Having said that, the Belgian has started this season in wonderful form offensively. Meunier now has 3 assists in his last 3 matches for the club, 2 of which were perfect crosses to Erling Haaland. With Morey out for likely the entire season and Passlack playing incredibly poorly, Meunier has stepped up and become the obvious choice for Dortmund at Right-back moving forward. Who knows why the switch flipped for him this season, but it did, and I’m all for it. Maybe Marco Rose just told him to pretend he was playing for Belgium.

Who Needs Stable Defending When You Have Haaland

Dortmund’s defending in the second half was shaky, to say the least. A penalty from Max Kruse and a header from Andreas Voglsammer meant that with the score at 3-2, Union were in striking distance of a spectacular comeback. Then Erling Haaland happened. An exquisite ball from Mats Hummels found its way onto the Norwegian's left foot, and from there, he chipped the ball from outside the box over the head of goalkeeper Andreas Luthe and into the back of the net. Some may say that this was just a lucky goal from Erling Haaland, but some are wrong. Some have just never watched Erling Haaland play football. I’m speechless.

Your Thoughts

What did you think of today’s game? Leave your thoughts below!