MOTM Poll: Dortmund Defeat Hannover to Secure a Place in the German Cup Last 16

This one had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Despite a 2-0 away win, Edin Terzic’s Dortmund did little to quell fears of a continued poor run of form. From the outset, Hannover 96 looked like the more organized team and Gregor Kobel was put to work early as Hannover’s attack intensified. In the eleventh minute, an absurd attacking play saw Julian Brandt karate-kick the ball into the box at while Youssoufa Moukoko fought his way to the edge and had a shot which fortunately took a deflection off of Hannover defender Bright Arrey-Mbi and opened the scoring 1-0. Dortmund continued to fumble through the second half before Terzic boosted the squad with substitutes for better or worse. In the seventy-first minute, Jude Bellingham was brought down inside the box and converted the subsequent penalty, 2-0. BVB was unable to to simply see this match out, no, Karim Adeyemi found himself at the receiving end of a red card from bringing down Derrik Köhn on a breakaway. This was an all but convincing victory for the Black and Yellows.

Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images

Here are our picks for Man of the Match:

Gregor Kobel

After coming off of what he called the worst game of his professional career, Gregor Kobel reminded fans that he’s a world-class shot-stopper. Greg produced seven saves and somehow kept a clean sheet when our defense was in shambles. He even took a two-footed kick from a crazed fan who stormed the pitch and still performed at his best. On another day, this could have been an embarrassing loss, but Kobel stood strong.

Youssoufa Moukoko

The young German was involved in this match from the very beginning. Moukoko is fast and his tenacity in attack produced the opening goal, even if he doesn't receive the accreditation. Moukoko played well while while his teammates were largely mediocre.

Jude Bellingham

Jude substituted into this game in the sixty-second minute and made an immediate impact, not just in his play, but also in the leadership he brought onto the pitch. Jude drew the foul which won the penalty and he also stepped up to convert it with great maturity. The young Englishman deserved his break, starting on the bench, but this squad still needed him so badly.

Photo by Oliver Hardt/Getty Images

Hopefully I’ll be more optimistic when I write the MotM Poll this weekend.

Tell us your thoughts below!

• What did you think of today’s performance?
• What are your biggest concerns with Dortmund’s current style of play?
• Should Terzic rotate more players?