Thanks to Reus & Co., BVB makes a confident start to the Champions League – Chelsea are defeated by Zagreb

When returning to standing room in Europe

On the upswing in the Bundesliga, on course in the Champions League – Borussia Dortmund has continued its upward trend towards the start of the premier class. With the 3-0 (2-0) win over outsiders FC Copenhagen, coach Edin Terzic’s team created a cushion for the forthcoming away games at Manchester City and FC Sevilla. Against the impressive backdrop of 70,700 spectators in Signal Iduna Park, where standing room was allowed again for the first time since 1998, the strong Marco Reus (35th), Raphaël Guerreiro (42nd) and Jude Bellingham (83rd) ensured the deserved success.

Despite growing concerns about injuries, Dortmund controlled the game on Tuesday. Early in the season, BVB has to replace five offensive players because Thorgan Hazard also had to go out with a thigh problem (23rd) against the Danes. Even first-choice goalkeeper Gregor Kobel is initially out due to a torn muscle fiber, but his substitute Alexander Meyer was only really challenged once in his premier class debut.

At first, Borussia struggled against the deep guests. Copenhagen often forced the Bundesliga runners-up to move to the flanks, but BVB did not become dangerous from there. Instead, a combination through the center provided the lead. National player Niklas Süle, for whom Mats Hummels had to be on the bench, started the attack of the hosts and found Julian Brandt. As in the 1-0 win against Hoffenheim last Friday, Brandt made a brilliant pass to Reus, who completed the shot from close range. And BVB didn’t let up. But on the contrary.

Thanks to an aggressive tackle, Guerreiro got the ball just before Copenhagen’s penalty area and passed it on to Giovanni Reyna – the 19-year-old in turn put it back on the Portuguese, who only had to push in. “First we have to show that what happened last year in all cup competitions bothered us,” Terzic said before the kick-off on Amazon Prime Video.

He actually showed that BVB does not want to be eliminated again in the group phase of the premier class. It only got tricky twice: In the first minute, a shot from the guests grazed the outside of the post, shortly after the half-time break goalkeeper Meyer then fended off Lukas Lerager in dire need. If Dortmund could blame themselves for something, it was only the poor exploitation of chances.

BVB didn’t let up in the second round either and created numerous good opportunities – but only took advantage of one. After another mistake by the Danes in the build-up, Dortmund switched quickly and combined into the penalty area. There Reyna crossed again – and this time found Bellingham, who made the final score.

In the parallel game, Chelsea suffered the first upset of the new season. At Dinamo Zagreb, Thomas Tuchel’s team lost 1-0 (0-1). The golden goal was scored by Mislav Orsic in the 13th minute.

To home page