Dortmund entered their second round DFB Pokal tie against Werder Bremen with a sense of deja vu hanging over the affair. The two teams played each other only 18 days ago, when Bremen surged back from two goals down to equalize the game in the last few minutes. Prior to yesterday’s match, Bremen had eliminated Dortmund in three consecutive Pokal matches (2009, 2019, 2020).
Despite the history, however, Dortmund were a well drilled machine in the first half. It only took six minutes for Serhou Guirassy
to get on the end of a pass from Julian Ryerson to put Dortmund ahead. Jobe Bellingham and Carney Chukwuemeka combined only eleven minutes later to notch the teams second goal. Jobe did an excellent job sending a header in the box back to a wide open Chukwuemeka who buried it. Everything was going to plan; the team was calm, professional, and ruthless. Then the second half happened.
The second half was cataclysmic for Dortmund. The team failed to muster a shot on target until the 93rd minute. Up until that point, Bremen made four subs, had four shots on target, and more importantly, scored two goals. The first of those goals was the product of lazy defending in the 65th minute. Julian Ryerson, who looked bright throughout the first half, brought down Mick Schmetgens with a pull in the penalty area. There was no reason to that. 19-year-old Schmetgens looked poor throughout the game and Ryerson and plenty of time to play proper defense. Substitute Niklas Fullkrug stepped up and converted the penalty with ease. Fullkrug notched his second goal just three minutes later from outside the box. The Dortmund alumni broke through Dortmund’s midfield and had plenty of space to pick out Kobel’s bottom corner. For Bremen, it was a fantastic goal. For Dortmund, it was that same feeling of deja vu as the game slipped away.
And then Marcel Sabitzer stepped up in the 93rd minute to deliver a great Pokal moment for Dortmund. Felix Nmecha won a foul well outside the box and Sabitzer stepped up. The ensuing free-kick was terrific and Bremen’s goalkeeper, Karl Hein, completely off guard. It was Sabitzer’s first goal for Dortmund since January where he scored against Bremen.
Here are the highlights:
And here are my quickfire takeaways
Loss of Confidence Ahead of Der Klassiker
The biggest match of Dortmund’s season is on Saturday. League-leading Bayern Munich come to town and Dortmund had the opportunity to go into that game with some confidence in front of their own fans. That plan was going well until the aforementioned second-half collapse. The reality is clear: Bayern Munich are a bulldozer heading for Dortmund and the team has three days to cleanse this near-collapse from their minds and get ready.
Different Midfield Shape
Typically Niko Kovac plays with a midfield pivot at the base of midfield and two attacking midfielders who operate in the half-spaces alongside Guirassy. Jobe, Veerman, and Nmecha rotate around the midfield pivot while Dortmund’s plethora of attackers take turns fighting for the attacking midfield spots. This game was different, however. Jobe, Veerman, and Nmecha all started alongside Chukwuemeka in a system where Jobe and Nmecha took turns occupying the halfspace alongside Chukwuemeka. The system worked surprisingly well in the first half. Bremen’s defenders struggled to mark either Jobe or Nmecha as they pushed into the half-spaces. Jobe earned an assist for his work in the system and both players had great moments around the box.
The second half was a different story. At this point, Bremen had no issues following Dortmund’s rotating midfield and neither player was getting the ball in dangerous areas. This forced Guirassy and Chukwuemeka to drop deeper and Dortmund’s attacking threat stalled completely. Kovac’s experiment failed.
Win and Move On
The DFB Pokal is Dortmund’s quickest way to a trophy. Win five games and you’re playing at the Olympiastadion in the final. It doesn’t have to pretty, aesthetic, or even convincing. You just need to win to advance. Dortmund did exactly that. It was far from convincing or aesthetic but Dortmund are one game closer to a trophy. The round of sixteen draw is on Sunday and Dortmund will learn their next opponent. The plan remains the same: Win and move on.
