Borussia Dortmund will have to settle for a point for their Champions League opener in Turin. The game finished 4-4 in what could have been (and realistically should have been) an important away win for Niko Kovac’s men. The game took its time to get going, with neither side willing to take much risk in the first half. But then the offensive dam collapsed and the goals flooded in.
Karim Adeyemi took the initiative and opened the scoring. with Kenan Yildiz answering twelve minutes later. It then didn’t
take Felix Nmecha long to join the party and give BVB the lead back. Juve’s super-sub Dusan Vlahovic clearly had something to prove tonight, scoring a brace and assisting the final equalizer. Yan Couto and Ramy Bensebaini both netted for the first time this season, and Lloyd Kelly would cap off this crazy Football Manager-like affair in the fifth minute of added time.
It’snot to be disappointed with this result. Dortmund seemingly had the win in the bag, until they didn’t, conceding twice in about two minutes. And there are still a couple of heavyweights waiting for the black-and-yellows in the League Phase…
Here are the Fear The Wall nominations for Borussia Dortmund’s Man of the Match in this four-all encounter at the Allianz Stadium:
Karim Adeyemi
His goal gave the game a completely different temperature. He also takes home a nice little assist for the layoff to Nmecha. I was really impressed with his body language and overall aggressiveness without the ball today.
Felix Nmecha
A crucial goal in a crucial phase of the match. The saying goes: “You’re at your most vulnerable when you’ve just scored”, and Nmecha was nice enough to demonstrate that in cooperation with Juventus. A very positive 71 minutes from the 24-year-old.
Maxi Beier
Beier is a workhorse. The mileage he covers throughout a game should not go unnoticed. He was pressing all over the pitch and won the ball back in his own half multiple times. He ends up being one of the few who just couldn’t reward themselves with a goal today.
Ramy Bensebaini
Bensebaini is not without blame for the collapse today, but I thought he did well for a large portion of the game. Stayed calm, cool, and collected from the spot. He continues to hold down the fort until Schlotterbeck is back.
