Fabio Silva’s game-tying goal struck the net four minutes into the seven-minute stoppage time, stunning Red Bull Arena and sending the visiting Borussia Dortmund fans into a frenzy. It was electric. It was dramatic. It was, at best, questionably deserved. And most importantly, it was not enough. Trailing Bayern Munich nine points in the table going into the match, BVB needed all three points, not just one. And although they had one more glorious chance to score, they did not get them.
So sure, it
was an epic comeback and of course I was happy when Silva scored, but at the end of the day, it’s effectively a defeat.
It could have been worse though, because after thirty minutes I was almost certain it would be a total blowout. Although Maxi Beier almost scored early with a 1-on-1 that got saved, RB Leipzig quickly zeroed in on BVB’s right side, with Julian Ryerson at right-back and Luca Reggiani as the right-most center-back. For the entire half, Yan Diomande, Christoph Baumgartner, and David Raum ran circles around BVB’s entire right side. On two separate occasions, Diomande was able to dribble past Julian Ryerson and pick out an unmarked Baumgartner, with the German easily finishing both chances.
Surpisingly, Niko Kovac chose not to make any immediate changes out of the half, but BVB still started on the front-foot, and broke through minutes in with a goal off a corner kick. Julian Ryerson’s cross soared into the box and bounced around before ricocheting off of Rômulo and into the net for an own goal. Later, Kovac would make attacking subs by bringing on Yan Couto, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Julian Brandt for Reggiani, Felix Nmecha, and Maxi Beier, and then later Fabio Silva and Karim Adeyemi for Serhou Guirassy and Marcel Sabitzer.
Despite these attacking changes, BVB couldn’t muster much until stoppage time, when Julian Brandt played in Karim Adeyemi along the wing, who launched a cross through the box to Fabio Silva, who shot it back across goal, just through Vandevoordt and into the corner. It was his first goal in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund, and it could not have come at a more clutch time.
BVB needed all three points, though, and in the very dying minutes of the match, had a chance to steal them. Julian Brandt broke down the right wing by himself, and Karim Adeyemi was dashing into space across the mouth of goal, out in front of his defenders. Unfortunately, Brandt had his head down the whole time, and took an ill-advised shot from a relatively weak angle that Vandevoordt saved. The whistle blew, and BVB’s title challenge has suffered a mortal wound.
My Thoughts
- First, the elephant in the room: Luca Reggiani had a bad game. He was out of position constantly and he looked out of place defending Bundesliga-level players, especially Yan Diomande who ran circles around him all game. Unfortunately, BVB’s other, more experienced defenders were hardly any better and did not in any way bail out the youngster. Julian Ryerson looked just as helpless against Diomande. Not a single player tracked Christoph Baumgartner’s run into the box for his first goal. Waldemar Anton watched the ball roll by him on his second. It was a bad defensive performance across the board, at least in the first half. There were a few brighter moments in the second half, such as Ramy Bensebaini clearing a shot off the line, but it was too little too late.
- I know that Julian Brandt can’t play every single minute until the season ends, but I think that starting a three-man midfield with Nmecha, Bellingham, and Marcel Sabitzer was a downgrade over the former two with Julian Brandt joining the attack. I don’t think Sabitzer adds enough on his own to justify starting him in an important match over Brandt or even Chukwuemeka.
- I normally hate nitpicking on things like these, but I was so utterly bewildered at all the players celebrating in the corner after Fabio Silva’s goal instead of sprinting back to the halfway line. I was literally screaming, “Go! Go! Go! We need another goal!” at my TV like a madman. There were only three minutes remaining in stoppage time, and it took them at least a minute to reset. Brandt still ended up getting a major chance and it probably wouldn’t have mattered in the end, but it’s such a frustrating lack of awareness by the players that I still feel the need to bring it up.
Your Thoughts
What did you think of the game? Is the title race over? What should Kovac have done differently?
