Donetsk beats Barca
Borussia Dortmund also defeated English participants Newcastle United in their second meeting on matchday four of the Champions League. After the 2-0 win thanks to goals from national players Niclas Füllkrug and Julian Brandt, the Westphalians jumped to first place in the table in Group F, at least temporarily.
As with the 1-0 win in England two weeks earlier, coach Edin Terzic’s team put on a mature performance at home in front of 81,365 spectators in the sold-out Signal Iduna Park. Thanks to the successful reaction to the Bayern debacle, BVB (7 points) moved past Newcastle (4) and is on course for the round of 16 for the first time after a mixed start in the CL.
BVB started against the English in a way that one could not necessarily have expected after the debacle against Bayern: courageous and committed. Borussia clearly tried to react positively, Newcastle could hardly get out of their own half in the early stages. Dortmund pressed high and won the decisive duels in midfield. The British, plagued by many injuries, did not play at all.
Meunier ahead of Malen and Reus: The top earners at BVB
The good initial phase was rewarded after less than 30 minutes. Füllkrug won the ball in his own half and stimulated a Dortmund counterattack. Over several stops, the ball finally landed back at the new signing, who scored his first Champions League goal from close range after preparation from Marcel Sabitzer. So everything started according to plan for the hosts.
Terzic responded to the poor performance against Bayern with three changes to the starting line-up. Fortunately for Dortmund, the recently weak Füllkrug was there again from the start, but Marco Reus and Donyell Malen, like Marius Wolf, were initially surprisingly on the bench. Although the slightly changed BVB team got off to a good start, Terzic’s team gave up a little control of the game after taking the lead.
Dortmund withdrew and let Newcastle come. After the strong 1-0 win against Arsenal FC at the weekend, the guests needed some time to find their way into the game. The fact that it finally worked out better was mainly due to the fact that Dortmund lost crucial duels in midfield. BVB’s defense didn’t really falter at first.
Things got really tricky for the first time in the 56th minute when ex-Hoffenheim player Joelinton was completely free to head the ball after a cross in the Dortmund penalty area – but put the ball just wide of the goal. At half time the “Magpies” reacted and brought in the offensive players Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almirón. The guests wanted an equalizer, but only BVB could reward themselves.
The hosts acted a little more passively, but they never gave up their defensive stability. And that paid off. After a free kick for Newcastle in the BVB penalty area, Karim Adeyemi played a brilliant pass to Brandt, who marched unchallenged towards the visitors’ goal and slotted it in ice-cold.
Champions League: Donetsk defeats FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona suffered a painful defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk in Hamburg. Striker Danylo Sikan scored the 1-0 winner in the 40th minute for the Ukrainians, who temporarily moved level with FC Porto in the Group H table. The Catalans, however, remain in first place with nine points before the duel between the Portuguese and Antwerp.
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