In Borussia Dortmund’s final match before the upcoming international break, Die Schwarzgelben carved out a narrow 2-1 win over SV Elversberg, courtesy of two goals and an all-around brilliant performance from Felix Nmecha. BVB jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but let Elversberg back in the game thanks to a Golazo from Noel Futkeu. Thankfully, the visitors could not find an equalizer, despite playing in front of a record away crowd, and Dortmund now can head into the break without any dropped points hanging
over their heads.
Niko Kovac deployed his troops in a 4-3-3 with Fabio Silva leading the line, Carney Chukwuemeka and Konstantinos Karetsas on the wings, and Joey Veerman, Felix Nmecha, and Jobe Bellingham in midfield. Joane Gadou got the start again, this time as a right-back.
Dortmund did a great job shutting down Elversberg in the first half, with the away side only mustering four shot attempts and 0.09 xG. Dortmund’s midfield was suffocating, and the attacking trio looked deadly. Unfortunately, Chukwuemeka suffered a muscle injury and was subbed off in the 34th minute. While BVB had the better of the chances, including Fabio Silva scoring from near the half-way line and Karetsas creating multiple chances, the half ended 0-0.
In the second half, Dortmund resumed their dominance and quickly took the lead thanks to a great finish by Felix Nmecha. Joey Veerman launched a long ball from within the Dortmund half that flew straight to Fabio Silva, who did a great job to bring it down and hit Nmecha with a pass. Nmecha took a touch and then casually lashed a low shot that beat Nicolas Kristof to take the lead.
Dortmund added to their lead later with an even sicker goal. Fabio Silva found Maxi Beier in the box. Beier was pushed off the ball, but it bounced luckily to Nmecha again, who took a shot first-time that whipped perfectly into the corner of the net.
Elversberg made the game interesting with what was admittedly an amazing goal. After taking a short corner, Elversberg midfielder Felix Keidel looped a cross to the back-post for Florian Le Joncour, who headed it back across goal to Noel Futkeu, who pulled off an incredible flying volley to smash the ball into the net, making it 2-1.
Thankfully, Dortmund managed to see off their opponents from there, securing the three points.
Here are the highlights (en Español):
Midfield Masterclass
Yes, he scored two amazing goals, but Nmecha’s game was solid in just about every other respect as well. I loved the way he pressed in this game, single-handedly stopping numerous counter-attacks and winning back possession. He led Dortmund in ground duels won and successful dribbles.
Joey Veerman was exceptional too, completing the game with 94% pass completion and leading the game in passes into the final third. His ball to Fabio Silva that set up Dortmund’s first goal was perfection.
Other Notes:
- Former BVBer Cole Campbell looked very solid for Elversberg. I’m not saying we should’ve kept him, but I’m just pointing it out.
- Chukwuemeka’s injury really hurts. He’s been in great form recently. According to Ruhr Nachrichten, it’s a muscle tear. Hopefully it’s not too serious and Chucky can heal up during the international break.
- Fabio Silva grabbed another assist, bringing his Bundesliga totals to three goals and two assists in only about 330 minutes. The Portuguese forward has not played all that many minutes, but whenever he does play, he’s producing. If Guirassy’s injury persists, it could be an opportunity to Silva to establish himself more in the squad.
Your Thoughts
What did you think of today’s game? Let me know your thoughts!
