Borussia Dortmund is playing sometimes masterfully and sometimes worryingly this season. The lack of consistency is causing problems for BVB. Overall, the team managed an acceptable performance against newly promoted St. Pauli. But in the end, BVB still needs luck.
Dispelled the frustration, but only partially reconciled the critics. For the time being, Borussia Dortmund is spared further uncomfortable discussions about an early exit from the title race. Two weeks after the much-discussed defeat at Union Berlin (1:2), coach Nuri Sahin‘s team achieved a lackluster 2:1 (1:0) win over promoted team FC St. Pauli. “It was tough. The victory was important for us. We are happy – but also relieved,” said Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt.
Thanks to goals from Ramy Bensebaini (43rd minute) and Serhou Guirassy (83rd) in front of 81,365 spectators in the sold-out Signal Park, BVB climbed to fourth place, at least for one day. However, the appearance was only of limited use as an encouragement for the new edition of the last Champions League final on Tuesday (9 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker) at Real Madrid. The Kiezkickers suffered their fifth defeat in their seventh game of the season and remained goalless for the fifth time, but they proved to be uncomfortable opponents and were close to a draw after Eric Smith’s equalizer (78th).
After the disappointing performance in Berlin, the international break felt painfully long for Dortmund. This is one of the reasons why the will to make amends was great. Guirassy had a great chance to take the lead in the sixth minute when he was denied by guest keeper Nikola Vasilj from close range after a nice pass from Julian Brandt. However, this would remain the only truly dangerous scene for a long time. Despite the significant advantages in possession, Borussia found it difficult to create further scoring opportunities.
St. Pauli’s goal was disallowed
The guests were able to rely on their stable defense in this phase. The emphatically defensive tactics almost paid off early on. After Emre Can lost the ball, Oladapo Afolayan seemed to be on his way to making it 1-0 for Hamburg, but was prevented from scoring by Bensebaini at the last second.
This opportunity encouraged St. Pauli to free itself more and more from its grip. It was almost worth it. BVB only narrowly escaped falling behind because the video assistant canceled Morgan Guilavogui’s supposed goal (30th) because it was offside.
Despite their increased attacking efforts, the visitors’ defensive stability was not lost for a long time. Borussia seemed increasingly helpless, but still celebrated their lead two minutes before the break. Bensebaini’s first goal of the season was like a relief for them. After a cross from national player Pascal Groß, the full-back skillfully headed the ball into the net.
Regardless of the deficit, St. Pauli continued to rely on defense after the restart. And as in the first half, BVB found it difficult to break through the bulwark. Only when Brandt’s long-range shot was parried by Vasilj (58′) was there any danger of scoring.
It was only as the playing time increased that the constant pressure became a problem for the guests. When Guirassy (64th) failed again to beat Valsilj and Donyell Malen narrowly missed the ball after a cross from Jamie Gittens a few seconds later, the defense began to falter.
Because BVB missed the early decision, the guests sensed their chance. A great long-range shot from Smith gave them hope of winning a point for a short time. But BVB hit back with a header from Guirassy after a cross from Gittens and secured a well-deserved victory. But he was in danger again in the first minute of added time.
Adam Dzwigala had a great chance to equalize. He finished from six meters, but placed the dropkick over the goal centrally in front of the box after an extended throw-in. “How we defend this upsets me. “It’s just not possible if you want to be a top team,” complained Dortmund coach Sahin after the game. So it was lucky for BVB, bad luck for the newly promoted side, who didn’t gather courage until too late in the second half of the game to give Dortmund a pinprick.
pk
