For the second time in Niko Kovac’s tenure as Dortmund coach, his team leave Munich with a hard-fought draw. The statistics aren’t favorable: Bayern had 46 touches in Dortmund’s box, six big chances, 23 shots, hit the post 3 times, and notched a gazillion xG. None of that matters though. As a collective, Dortmund came from behind twice to tie the match in the dying minutes. They might be outgunned but Borussia Dortmund are still in the title race.
Here are my MOTM picks from a superb collective effort.
Nico Schlotterbeck, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Joane Gadou all deserve an honorable mention.
Serhou Guirassy
All eyes were on Harry Kane entering this match but only one striker missed a penalty in this match and it wasn’t Serhou Guirassy. Dortmund’s talisman striker had only one shot across the match but it was a well-taken goal that kept Dortmund alive. Throughout the game, Guirassy dropped deep, pressed hard, and did the dirty work on Dortmund’s front line.
Fabio Silva
Silva only had 13 touches across a 14-minute cameo but got the goal when it mattered most. His turn and shot in the 89th minute was executed to perfection and honestly changes Dortmund’s season going forward. Silva looked dangerous (aside from a Dahoud-esque shot from 35 yards out) and helped Dortmund be the more dangerous team in the closing stages of the match,
Jobe Bellingham
This felt like the ‘Jobe-game’. Much has been said about Jobe’s time in Dortmund and his performances in big games but today he elevated himself. Across 87 minutes, Jobe notched 48 touches, 4 defensive contributes, 5 recoveries, and looked dangerous playing further forward. He should’ve had the opening goal but Chukwuemeka’s collision with Urbig led to VAR review.
Daniel Svensson
The scariest matchup headed into this Halloween Der Klassiker was Michael Olise taking on Daniel Svensson. The 24-year-old right wing-back got the better of his French opposition however, and kept Olise quiet for long stretches of the match. On the other end of the field, Svensson was involved in many of Dortmund’s most dangerous moments.
