With their first away win in over two months, Borussia Dortmund got themselves in the mood for the Bundesliga classic against Bayern Munich. By winning 3-0 (1-0) against the Croatian double winner Dinamo Zagreb, BVB took a big step towards direct qualification for the knockout round of the Champions League. “That’s very, very good. We’re really happy,” said defender Nico Schlotterbeck on the DAZN streaming service.
Goals from Jamie Gittens (41st minute), Ramy Bensebaini (56th) and Serhou Guirassy (90th) finally ensured an away win again. However, national player Julian Brandt had to leave the field injured. Dortmund last won an away game in the European premier class on September 18th. At that time there was also a 3-0 win at FC Brugge.
After the fully deserved success against the passive team of former Bundesliga coach Nenad Bjelica, the previous season’s Champions League finalist is still the most successful German participant in this competition. With twelve points from five games, coach Nuri Sahin’s team is fourth in the table. “Things have been going quite well for us in the Champions League since last year,” said Schlotterbeck.
BVB complaint about excessive fan controls
There were significant complaints from BVB fans around the game, who reported restrictive controls at the stadium entrance. “We condemn this form of controls and are currently in contact with UEFA and Dinamo Zagreb in order to report and process the incidents,” wrote the Bundesliga soccer team on the Internet platform X.
The people of Dortmund spoke of “cross-border action by the security service”. Individual fans reported checks in their intimate areas. Accordingly, some supporters would have had to undress in tents. The game was classified as a risky game by UEFA. “We can expect a very emotional, very heated game on Wednesday,” Dortmund sports director Sebastian Kehl said before the game.
In fact, the around 25,000 spectators in the dilapidated Maksimir Stadium created a loud atmosphere, which was hardly fueled from the pitch. The Croatians, who were weakened, retreated far back and acted very defensively. BVB had a lot of possession and quickly created chances. “We were very dominant with the ball. That was a good game for us,” said goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Dortmund clearly superior against passive Croatians
Zagreb lost 9-2 to FC Bayern in September, but picked up seven points in the three following games. With a fairly inexperienced team, the team of former Union Berlin coach Bjelica was only looking for destruction this time against BVB. Shortly before the end of the first half, the ball fidgeted in the Croatian net. Zagreb keeper Danijel Zagorac was ultimately powerless against a shot from around 14 meters after a previous solo by Gittens.
Dinamo did not change their destructive style of play even after the change. After a corner from Pascal Groß, Bensebaini took advantage of a major defensive blunder by Dinamo with his header. The game was thus decided. BVB continued to play confidently and with experience, withdrew a little and saved some of their energy for the game against Bayern. «It’s going to be a tough fight. We’re definitely looking forward to it,” said Kobel. Shortly before the end, substitute Guirassy completed a counterattack to give the final score.
Source: dpa
