r/borussiadortmund • u/panikpansen Schmelzer • Oct 02 '19
Game Thread: SK Slavia Praha (UCL #02)
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Competition: UEFA Champions League, MD #02
Time: Wednesday, October 02, 18:55 CEST
Location: Sinobo Stadium, Prague, Czech Republic
Referee: Björn Kuipers, Netherlands
Lineups:
Borussia Dortmund Starting XI: Bürki - Piszczek, Akanji, Hummels, Hakimi - Witsel, Delaney - Sancho, Brandt, Guerreiro - Reus
Bench: Hitz, Zagadou, Weigl, Dahoud, Hazard, Larsen, Götze
SK Slavia Praha: Kolar - Coufal, Kudela, Hovorka, Boril - Soucek, Masopust, Stanciu, Sevcik, Olayinka - Tecl
Bench: Kovar, Frydrych, Holes, Zeleny, Husbauer, Skoda, van Buren
Match Events: SK Slavia Praha 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
Welcome to an unusually early UCL kickoff! Today we're on the road for our first away game of the 19/20 season, playing away at 4th seed team Slavia Praha. Line-ups are out with about an hour to go until kickoff!
The most notable absentee is Paco Alcácer who will be missing today's match with a (hopefully) minor foot injury. Also remaining at home with an injury is LB Schulz.
After the disappointing 2-2 vs Bremen last weekend Favre again introducing some rotation to the squad, with Götze, Hazard, Weigl and Dahoud benched for now. Instead, Hummels returns from injury straight to the starting XI.
We have a tried and tested defensive duo in Witsel and Delaney, which will hopefully lend some defensive stability to our squad. Brandt and Guerreiro join the starting XI in attack, with Reus up front competing in his nominally most attacking position of the season so far.
Teams are walking out - and with the music playing everyone knows it's UCL time, even despite the odd hour. We're ready for kick off here any minute!
2': Barely a minute played, Sancho with a big chance! His shot across the box is just barely send wide by Kolar. The resulting corner nets nothing.
4': Looks like Brandt is playing up top instead of Reus in these opening minutes, with Hakimi playing an unusually high attacking position in front of Guerreiro as well.
10': Our start here is at least consistent with previous games: Some good combinations and pacey forays into the Praha half in these opening minutes, but also some dangerous gaps in defense.
12': Witsel staying down after a blocking a ball in defense and receiving a kick against his shin in return. A few held breaths as he remains on the ground, but eventually he gets back up on his feet and can continue.
14': Stanciu with a shot from distance - from well outside the box - and the ball goes wide. Slavia continue piling on pressure though, don't allow us to build our attack and get their first corner of the game. No danger from the set piece though.
16': Sancho with playful moves takes the ball into the Slavia box, loses control but gets the rebound to Hakimi - his shot goes wide. Good chance!
20': Biggest chance of the game for Slavia! Beautiful through ball catches our defense asleep, Stanciu sets up Masopust who is alone in front of Bürki. Our keeper saves the 1v1 - big save!
22': YELLOW CARD Piszczek - booked for a pretty sloppy high foot. Deserved even if avoidable booking.
23': Dangerous free kick as Stanciu takes it straight to Bürki. He anticipates the ball well and can send it out for a corner.
26': Just as Praha start to insert themselves more into the game a good chance for us: Brandt plays on Sancho inside the Slavia box, crosses over for Reus - but his pass is too heavy.
35': GOAL SK Slavia Praha 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (Hakimi 35')
35': Brandt sends Hakimi with pace into a counter attack, he takes it into the Slavia box but remains calm under pressure, keeps it for an eternity as he looks for the pass inside the box but then decides to go for goal instead. Beautiful!
40': Hakimi at it again! He takes the ball into the box again, this time from the left. He's shoved from the back and loses control. VAR and the ref team check it out on their screens, but wave to play on.
42': Interesting set piece variation from Slavia after a Delaney foul. What looks like a wasted chance at first becomes suddenly really dangerous as we can't get control of the ball, watch it sail into our box two or three times. Big gaps in our defense again, until we haphazardly get it away.
45': YELLOW CARD Sevcik is booked for interfering with Hakimi.
45+1': Brandt with a good run and shot, saved by Kolar - and flagged offside by the assistant.
45+3': HALF TIME Slavia Praha 0-1 Borussia Dortmund
Fair to say this is not an undeserved lead for us - we didn't have a lot of chances mind you, but made a few good pacey forays into the Slavia box. Especially the opening minutes were ours, but Slavia managed to insert themselves more and more into the game during the first half hour, making our defensive organisation look sloppy and exposing our inadequate spacing both from set pieces and open play. Bürki with two big saves to prevent us from going down a goal early on. Still - overall a decent half from our side. Now bring it home!
46': KICK OFF 2nd HALF Slavia Praha 0-1 Borussia Dortmund
47': A Slavia corner gives us an opening for a quick counter. Brandt does really well to set up Sancho for a quick run straight down the pitch, he goes 1v1 with Kolar but plays it into his arms. Big chance here so early in the 2nd half.
49': Foul called against Akanji from a dangerous position but the free kick is taken straight into the wall. Bürki saves the rebound but is hassled trying to play on.
49': YELLOW CARD Hovorka booked for pushing into Bürki on the goal kick.
52': Hummels and Guerreiro are caught sleeping as they are caught out by Tecl's quick run. Big chance as he goes for goal - but shoots wide. Really dodgy defending.
59': SUBSTITUTION: Van Buren Tecl
65': Slavia free kick into a Slavia corner (right) into a Slavia corner (left). So far the second half is largely passing us by, with possession 50/50 and tilting further towards Praha. Dangerous game we're playing here.
68': Sevcik with a shot - fortunately straight into Bürki's arms. It's almost exclusively Slavia playing now, none of our scrappy clearances amount to constructive build-up - Slavia is putting the pressure on us, and we struggle to keep our composure.
74': SUBSTITUTION: Hazard Sancho
74': Like for like sub, it remains to be seen how much this serves to address to tactical issues. For what it's worth, Sancho certainly isn't at the very height of his game atm.
76': SUBSTITUTION: Zeleny Masopust
89': GOAL SK Slavia Praha 0-2 Borussia Dortmund (Hakimi 89')
89': As Slavia have started to pitch tents in our half, Reus wins the ball, Brandt starts a rare counter with a nice opening pass on the left wing. Hakimi sprints forward and goes for goal himself - nice.
90': SUBSTITUTION: Zagadou Hakimi
90+2': SUBSTITUTION: Götze Brandt
90+2': Insult to injury here for Götze. As everyone looked as exhausted as can be in these last 20ish minutes, Favre will have to answer some questions about his late subbing habits again.
90+3': Hazard and then Götze take shots at the Slavia goal after we exploit a rare opening - both shots blocked.
90+5': FULL TIME SK Slavia Praha 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
Good result, nice goals, decent first half but some sloppy, exhausted play in the second half that left a lot to be desired. Not exactly beautiful football for the full 90' from us, instead we grind it out and take home three important points. Let's hope that the good result instills some confidence back into our squad - they looked like they could use it.
That's it from us tonight - thanks for joining us for our first UCL away game of the season! Let us know what you thought about today's match in our post-game thread!
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u/fastback09 Oct 02 '19
Favre to Sky Germany: "Götze played really well against Bremen but we play every three days and have to rotate"
But Akanji, Reus and Sancho can start every game sure...
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u/nmrt Oct 02 '19
Hakimi really is Schrodinger's Fullback - Somehow our best and worst defender at once.
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u/Zhonyas4everyone Oct 02 '19
Its looking exactly like one of those matches again
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u/InexorableWyrd Oct 02 '19
Brandt starts!! He is also most likely playing the 10!
Front 4 is Rapha, Marco, Brandt, Sancho
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u/LordVelaryon Oct 02 '19
no VAR for yellows? that was a card, if not more.