The Bundesliga’s extremely anticipated “battle of the Bayern Munich chasers” really proved to be a quite anticlimactic encounter. Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig ended up splitting the distinction in a 1-1 draw at Sign Iduna Park on Saturday afternoon. The ultimate xG stats (Dortmund 0.88, Leipzig 1.05) illustrate that the ultimate scoreline was even just a little beneficiant. Possibilities have been few and much between in a tightly contested sport between the desk’s second and third-placed groups.
Some fascinating storylines nonetheless emerged. Dortmund stay undefeated this season forward of Leipzig, in the meantime, proceed their undefeated run Ole Werner’s RasenBallSportler have now gained 4 and drawn as soon as for the reason that 6-0 FCB shellacking. Of their final 450 minutes of Bundesliga soccer, the German Crimson Bulls have conceded solely two objectives.
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The rundown of the match:
Baumgartner scores towards BVB once more
After not registering any tallies towards Dortmund in the course of the 2024/25 season, Leipzig’s Christoph Baumgartner obtained again on the scoresheet towards the crew he struck towards twice in the course of the 2023/24 marketing campaign. The Austrian midfielder discovered himself in the precise place on the proper break day a Seventh-minute free-kick. RB captain David Raum performed brief. Nicolas Seiwald, Baumgartner’s Austrian compatriot, then swung in a diagonal. A wonderful aerial win from positioned the ball proper on Baumgartner’s boot.
A easy first-time drop kick end from shut vary made it 0-1 in favor of the company. Previous to the opening objective, not a lot occurred from open play. The 2 sides traded half-chances off corners within the opening 5 minutes. BVB and German nationwide crew returnee Nico Schlotterbeck discovered himself booked for a late sliding deal with on RB striker Romulu on a run simply previous the midway line within the Sixth-minute. This resulted within the set-piece that led to the opening objective.
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Baumgartner scores on the flawed finish
Schlotterbeck ended up redeeming himself with a wonderful clearance of one other Raum set-piece take within the Nineteenth-minute. Two minutes after that, Baumgartner earned the second reserving of the match for a tough problem on Dortmund’s Yan Couto. Baumgartner would discover himself on the flawed finish of one other encounter with Couto shortly thereafter. Couto was technically credited with the Twenty third-minute equalizer, however it was Baumgartner who deflected the previous Manchester Metropolis wingback’s shot in.
The lead-up to the 1-1 featured some glorious play from the Westphalian hosts. Ramy Bensebaini lifted a helpful ball in on the left. Maximilian Beier hustled to the touchline to gather and reduce for Serhou Guirassy. The BVB lead striker – quite than take a shot himself on the flip – alertly noticed Couto encroaching on the precise. Couto didn’t hesitate to shine off Guirassy’s lay-off along with his weaker left foot.
Pleasure at each ends of the half
The 2 groups managed to attain on their solely actual respective possibilities of the match. Neither facet produced a lot of something till shortly earlier than the break throughout what was an intense midfield contest. There wasn’t one other goal-scoring probability till first-half harm time. Raum was concerned at each ends, whiffing on a shot in a promising place at 45+1 after which clearing a Karim Adeyemi effort away from an empty internet at 45+3.
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Dortmund didn’t seem like fairly into the sport simply after the restart. Schlotterbeck and BVB keeper Gregor Kobel needed to intervene to cease strong efforts from Antonio Nusa, Romulo, and Johan Bakayoko between the forty sixth and 51st minutes. Issues then settled down once more because the hosts have been in a position to stabilize and maintain a compact form. Issues then didn’t choose up for some time.
The late pushes
Adeyemi made some first rate incursions down the precise for Dortmund whereas RB substitute Yan Diomande (on for Antonio Nusa within the 67th-minute) demonstrated his dribbling qualities on a number of events. Really harmful probabilities nonetheless didn’t materialize. Baumgartner (seventieth and 77th minutes) tried to affect the match but once more with a pair of hopeful efforts.
Egged on by the hometown crowd, Dortmund endeavored to discover a late winner. BVB substitutes Jobe Bellingham, Julian Brandt Fabio Silva noticed first rate makes an attempt on objective cleared away. Bensebaini got here the closest to creating one thing occur with a ranged shot that RB keeper Peter Gulacsi had some bother dealing with within the ninetieth.
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Borussia Dortmund Participant Rankings
Gregor Kobel (6) – Ramy Bensebaini (7), Nico Schlotterbeck (6), Waldemar Anton (5), – Daniel Svensson (5), Felix Nmecha (5), Marcel Sabitzer (5), Yan Couto (6) – Maximilian Beier (6), Karim Adeyemi (6) – Serhou Guirassy (6)
Substitutes: Julian Ryerson (5), Julian Brandt (6), Jobe Bellingham (6), Fabio Silva (5), Pascal Groß (4)
RB Leipzig Participant Rankings
Peter Gulacsi (5) – David Raum (6), Castello Lukeba (5), Willi Orban (4), Ridle Baku (7) – Nicolas Seiwald (6) –Antonio Nusa (5), Christoph Baumgartner (6), Assan Ouédraogo (6), Johan Bakayoko (6) – Romulo (5)
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Substitutes: Ezechiel Banzuzi (5),Yan Diomandé (6), Conrad Tougher (-), Andrija Maksimovic (-)
GGFN Participant of the Match: Ramy Bensebaini (7)
In a match filled with forgettable performances, the Algerian worldwide’s ahead work sticks within the reminiscence. Couto is ready to commemorate his first Bundesliga objective because of a wonderful ahead chip from Bensebaini “from the deep“; one thing witnessed on two different events from him late on. There was additionally that glorious end off the flip as the sport entered second half harm time.
Bensebaini racked up 72 touches, linked with 90 % of his 48 passes, and gained all however one among his eight floor duels. Two top-notch aerial wins from the 30-year-old additionally impressed. Broadly thought to be one thing of a flop run his first two BVB seasons, the previous Borussia Mönchengladbach defender has really displayed sturdy type to this point this 12 months.
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Tactical Assessment, Borussia Dortmund
Kovac hasn’t actually employed any huge tactical tweaks since Kovac runs a easy sufficient 3-4-3 that works effectively with the interchangeable components of his squad. 4 adjustments from the UCL victory over Bilbao noticed Schlotterbeck, Couto, Beier, Felix Nmecha begin instead of Bellingham, Julian Ryerson, Niklas Süle, and Carney Chukwuemeka.
Lineup—BVB—(3-4-3)
4 of the 5 straight-arrow substitutions (Ryerson, Brandt, Silva, and Bellingham for Couto, Adeyemi, Guirassy and Nmecha) made good sense. When Pascal Groß tried to play in Beier’s place, nevertheless, issues obtained bizarre. Groß working close to the touchline close to the top led to 2 poor crosses from the left that may have in any other case resulted in higher BVB scoring probabilities. Kovac in all probability opted for Groß over Chukwuemeka betting that the sport would in all probability be selected a useless ball.
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Tactical Assessment, RB Leipzig
Leipzig’s tactical journey options many extra twists and turns, partly attributable to the truth that Slowly and steadily, Werner tries to get again to his pre-season 4-1-4-1 blueprint. We’ve seen 4-3-3s, 4-1-2-3s, and even 4-1-3-2s. What we witnessed in the present day actually counted as a combination of all three approaches. The binding thread stays Werner’s need to construct round a solo midfield “holding six.”
Lineup—RBL—(4-1-2-3)
All the pieces grew to become a little bit of a free-for-all as soon as Ezechiel Banzuzi and Yan Diomande entered for Nusa and Ouédraogo within the 67th. Diomande clearly had license to do regardless of the hell he wished to and, one can pretty say, managed to do a reasonably first rate job at that. There have been loads of rotations on the highest axes previous to the substitutions anyway, proving that fluidity is inspired inside this crew.
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On a technical degree, each units of wingers and fullbacks carried out effectively. Ridle Baku – with the writer’s inherent German bias famous – was in all probability the strongest RB actor on the pitch. The Mainz native is clearly buoyed by that – within the opinion of most of – took far too lengthy. Three successive incompetent Bundestrainers have didn’t see the apparent resolution relating to the crew’s drawback at proper again.
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