The recently strong Ramy Bensebaini had a horror day in Dortmund’s dramatic Champions League exit. He played a key role in all four goals conceded in Bergamo, flying off the pitch and causing the decisive penalty. But self-pity and long quarrels would be counterproductive – Bayern are waiting in the league on Saturday (6.30 p.m., live ticker at sportschau.de).
The face of the 1:4 defeat, which after the 2:0 in the playoff first leg a week ago blocked the path to the round of 16 that was believed to be certain, was clearly Bensebaini. But of course the Algerian wasn’t solely to blame. Overall, from kick-off, the Dortmund team displayed a passivity that was hard to explain in the duels, Bergamo’s cross-givers had endless time and space, and the misbehavior of Daniel Svensson or Julian Ryerson in the wing positions also contributed to Bensebaini repeatedly looking bad in the center.
Rescue straddle as a perfect template
When the first goal was conceded (5th minute), the ex-Gladbacher wanted to clear it with a tackle just in front of his own goal, but extended the cross from the left right into the path of Gianluca Scamacca, who only had to push in. Goal number two (45′) was again a completely failed attempt at clearance by Bensebaini: Kobel was about to punch away Davide Zappacosta’s long-range shot, but the central defender deflected into his own goal just in front of his keeper.
At 0:3 he probably didn’t want to screw everything up again – but letting Mario Pašalić head it completely free in the six-yard box wasn’t a good idea either. Here, too, BVB had previously allowed itself to be duped in the wing position, and Marten de Roon was allowed to cross unhindered.
Similar goals conceded as in Leipzig
What was astonishing was that Dortmund kept getting into problems following the same pattern that Leipzig had uncovered in the Bundesliga last Saturday evening. Even at this 2-2 score after a 2-0 deficit, BVB had allowed itself to be undermined several times by changing wings: attacking from the right or through the center, shifting to the left – this is how Christoph Baumgartner conceded the two goals.
In the decisive scene in Bergamo, Bensebaini’s intention was once again to correct a colleague’s mistake – but he failed spectacularly and with serious consequences. Deep into stoppage time, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was infected by the hustle and bustle of those in front of him who wanted to decide the game before extra time. His pass into the center was easy prey for Atalanta’s counterattack specialists, and the goalkeeper’s attempted build-up turned into a disastrous counterattack.
Kobel was overpraised, Bensebaini wanted to clear with a backheel – and in the process gave Nikola Krstović, who was ready to head in, a bleeding cut in the forehead with his studs. Bensebaini had also hit the ball, but Krstović was slightly ahead of him. The images of the bleeding Bergamo striker left referee José Sánchez Martínez little choice but to decide on a penalty and yellow-red for Bensebaini after a short video study.
Bankruptcies, bad luck and mishaps: Ramy Bensebaini and Gregor Kobel (right)
BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl then argued: “Nobody here thought about Bayern or Arsenal before, but you still have to say: like in the first leg, we didn’t really accept it in the first 25 minutes. And of course we helped diligently with the goals we conceded and that made Bergamo strong. We have to face the criticism and it’s justified.”
Kovač: “We have to address things”
Dealing with this concentrated clumsiness is now getting exciting. Especially since everything in the league recently went perfectly apart from the small setback in Leipzig and not everything speaks for Bayern in Germany’s top game. Coach Niko Kovač plans a mixture of analysis and development: “We obviously have to address things. But we have a Bundesliga game in three days, that doesn’t make it any easier because the German champions are coming. We have to concentrate on defending well as quickly as possible. If we defend well, we win games. If you concede two or more, you rarely win games, especially not in the Champions League. So join forces to deliver a good performance on Saturday.”
Captain Emre Can also speaks plainly, but doesn’t want to shame anyone: “Those were crap goals, I would say. I don’t know what else to say. If you get four goals in the playoffs, then it’s really difficult. That definitely shouldn’t happen. I don’t blame any individual player, but if you make so many individual mistakes, then it will be difficult.”
