Cup success of BVB against Mönchengladbach: Julian extinguishes the fire

Bundesliga

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Leaders wanted: Both coaches had to renounce various regular players, but only at BVB this was a test of stress for the squad. For coach Lucien Favre were missing with Marco Reus, Mats Hummels, Roman Bürki and Paco Alcácer four professionals who embody in a struggle for stability team something like leadership claim. A few weeks ago at BVB a nonsensical M-word discussion (mentality, not championship) led, this game still had the potential to be trendsetting. Where does the way lead from Borussia Dortmund?

The result: first in the second round of the DFB Cup. BVB won the Borussia duel 2-1 (0-0), read the summary of the cup evening here. The round of 16 will be played on 3 November at 6 pm as part of the sports show, which will be played on 4 and 5 February 2020.

Fire master of the game: Julian Brandt had come before the season as a great hope from Bayer Leverkusen to Dortmund. But in the first weeks it did not want to run for the national team. For some BVB fans Brandt is even a face of the crisis. When he lost several balls against Gladbach in the first half, a murmur went through the Westfalenstadion. When BVB was about to go out, Brandt took over responsibility for Reus at his favorite position in the offensive center. Within minutes, he showed all his skills:

• Preparing for a Sancho big chance with a deep run to the baseline (77th minute).
• Strong first ball contact after pass from Lukasz Piszczek (77.).
• Completed 18 yards out, scoring the goal by beating Denis Zakaria and Nico Elvedi 1-1 (77 ').
• Hack-trick on substitute Mario Götze, who drops to Thorgan Hazard (80.).
• In the subsequent flank of Hazard Brandt rises and heads into the left corner to victory (80.).

Martin Meissner / AP

Julian Brandt heads the 2: 1 winner

First half: The repetition of the Bundesliga duel eleven days ago (1: 0 for BVB) was characterized by the following things: Pressing and bad passes. Both sets of attacks started very early, which made a lot of sense in the newly formed defensive chains. At BVB debuted Dan-Axel Zagadou in the starting XI, Gladbach coach Marco Rose put on triple chain with midfielder Zakaria in the center. Zagadou and Zakaria were among the best players on the field and so there were few chances. For Dortmund met Hazard the crossbar (29), in the guests Marcus Thuram failed after a mistake by Manuel Akanji from close range to substitute goalkeeper Marwin Hitz (38).

Second half: The game changed, not to his advantage. Both teams pushed back the risk in the pressing, the fear of decisive mistakes was noticeable and so there were no noteworthy scenes at the gates. Until the 71st minute, when Julian Weigl in the center went back to negligent, the substitute Oscar Wendt was able to flank without any constraints and Thuram could einköpfen because of a small body defeat against Zagadou freestanding. Gladbach was about to move into the second round - then came Julian Brandt.

Everything is all right again? In the aftermath of the game, the questioners in the ARD were out to make the players and the coach relief. At Piszczek's went wrong, the replacement captain said: "I do not read newspapers, everything else I'm not interested." Favre, who has been criticized for weeks in the BVB environment and in the media, reacted indignantly to his otherwise supercooled nature to ask if everything was all right again. "Everything was bad last week and after a win everything is fine again?"

Favre is right. If BVB loses one of the upcoming home games against Wolfsburg on Saturday (15.30 hrs live ticker SPIEGEL ONLINE) or Inter Milan on Wednesday, the fire in Dortmund will be rekindled.

Borussia Dortmund - Borussia Mönchengladbach 2: 1 (0: 0)
0: 1 Thuram (71.)
1: 1 Brandt (77.)
2: 1 Brandt (80th)
BVB: Hitz - Piszczek, Akanji, Zagadou, Schulz (78th idol) - Witsel, Weigl - Sancho, Brandt, Hazard - Bruun Larsen (64th Hakimi)
BMG: Summer - Beyer, Zakaria, Elvedi - Lainer, Hofmann (87th Makridis), Neuhaus, Bensebaini (30th Wendt) - Benes (82nd Herrmann) - Stindl, Thuram
Referee: Cortus
Yellow cards: Schulz - Zakaria, Neuhaus
Red card: Rose (Coach Mönchengladbach)
Spectators: 79,800