MOTM Poll: Borussia Dortmund Falls to F.C Koln

Borussia Dortmund at F.C Köln saw one of the Bundesliga’s greatest strikers of recent seasons face his old side and triumph. That’s right, Stefan Tigges scored against Borussia Dortmund despite being sold this past summer. Oh, and Anthony Modeste returned to Köln with Dortmund with his poor form and failed to find the back of the net. I’m sure Köln fans are ecstatic after their star man left them late in the window without saying much of a goodbye.

Jokes aside, Dortmund entered halftime of this game with a 1-0 lead thanks to Julian Brandt. From there, it should have been a comfortable win against an inferior opponent. However, as we have learned this season, no opponents are inferior to Borussia Dortmund. Two quick-fire goals, one from Köln winger Florian Kainz and the aforementioned header by Stefan Tigges, saw the game flip on its head early in the second half. the sluggish half continued for Dortmund and 15 minutes later, Dejan Ljubic got the Billy Goat’s third.

Dortmund would get one back, an insanely stupid-looking own goal forced by Thomas Rothe, but the game would end 3-2. Dortmund now finds themselves behind Bayern Munich, who they face next week. Again, it was a game that saw Dortmund miss a lot of easy chances as Adeyemi, Malen, Hazard, and Moukoko all decided to shoot wide or at the keeper. It’s become a worrying concern for Dortmund that they have an inability to score despite the number of chances. It is also quite annoying for me, as Man of The Match selector, because how am I going to pick options between a bunch of bozos who can’t score. Here’s who I came up with:

Julian Brandt

It was a good game from Julian Brandt, who looked recharged following his absence from the German national team. He scored Dortmund’s first goal and did well as a replacement for our injured Captain. Brandt completed 86% of his passes, created 3 chances albeit none of them too threatening, and was rewarded with a full 90 minutes from Terzic. Hopefully, everyone is happy to see Brandt on the field because I’m sure Terzic will have no choice but to start Julian thanks to Reus and Reyna’s injuries.

Jude Bellingham

Unfortunately for Jude, his first game with the captain’s armband saw his team drop points. Not for a lack of trying on Bellingham's part, however. The 19-year-old midfielder assisted Brandt’s opener and was a warrior for much of the game. Jude won the most fouls, won the most challenges, and did his usual job of progressing the ball. Defensively, it was far from Jude’s best game for Dortmund but he continues to showcase why he is selected as the third captain.

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Salih Özcan

Özcan returned to his former employers this week and played a solid game. Despite Dortmund playing on the front foot for most of this game, Özcan did his duty of sweeping up the midfield. Köln’s first two goals came from out wide, a low cross and a corner, which Özcan couldn’t do much about. It is also telling that within 3 minutes of him coming off, a Köln player was able to dribble into midfield and score from afar without much pressure. Like Jude, not his best game for Borussia Dortmund. Unfortunately, with how the team played today you don’t have to be fantastic to be considered for Man of the Match.

Thomas Meunier

Okay, this one is a bit of a stretch. Meunier won possession to set up Dortmund's first goal and was very good going forward most of this game. Defensively, however, he wasn’t great. He was out of position for Köln’s equalizer and the Billy Goats targeted him for much of the game. Still, he was one of Dortmund’s most creative players today and should’ve got an assist. If Dortmund’s forwards could score, Meunier would get a lot more plaudits from fans because his ability to run down the line and put in balls is evident.

Who was your man of the match? Let us know who and why in the comments below!