Borussia Dortmund fought against a harmless SV Werder for a long time with themselves and their negligent exploitation of chances. In the end, Julian Brandt ensures BVB’s narrow but well-deserved victory with a stroke of genius.
Dortmund won 1-0 against Werder Bremen on Friday evening (October 20th, 2023) at the start of the 8th matchday in the Bundesliga. With their sixth win of the season (20 points), BVB at least temporarily took over the top of the table.
SV Werder, which has now lost seven away games in a row across all seasons, remains at six points and has to move further downwards.
To the live ticker: Dortmund – Bremen arrow right 8th matchday arrow right
Brandt with the winning goal for BVB
Julian Brandt redeemed the Dortmund fans in a completely one-sided game with the winning goal in the 67th minute, after an outstanding assist from Emre Can. The captain played a perfect interface pass to Brandt, who elegantly lofted the ball over Werder goalkeeper Michael Zetterer and into the net.
Dortmund created a number of great chances through Marco Reus and Donyell Malen, but were too inconsistent in their finishing. Niclas Füllkrug hardly had any scoring action against his former club.
USA driver Hummels, Brandt and Füllkrug in the starting line-up
Just 64 hours after the final whistle of the German duel with Mexico, three of the four German national players were in Dortmund’s starting eleven: Mats Hummels, Brandt and Füllkrug. Niklas Süle sat on the bench.
Despite the strenuous overseas trip, BVB exerted a lot of pressure right from the start: Malen fired the first shot (6th) – Zetterer, replacement for the injured goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka, made the save. A header from Marius Wolf (7th) could have made it 1-0.
The Bremen team barely made it across the halfway line in an orderly fashion – when they did, they barely made a pass to their teammate. Dawid Kownacki (11th) missed the first chance to counterattack. It soon became clear that with speed something could be achieved against the high-ranking Dortmund team. Werder became more courageous given the very limited possibilities and also blocked the space better at the back with a five-man chain when the opponent had the ball.
Reus and Malen gave up the lead before the break
Nevertheless, BVB repeatedly came dangerously close to the opening goal before the break: Reus stood alone in front of Zetterer at the end of the best BVB combination to date, but pushed the ball a few centimeters past the goal post (32nd). Dortmund were clearly superior, but remained unfocused in the end, especially Malen with his two big chances (45th/53rd). Bremen, on the other hand, made very weak use of even the most promising counterattack opportunities when they had the advantage (43′), and Gregor Kobel in the BVB goal almost seemed to be bored.
After an hour, the hosts tightened the ranks around the Bremen penalty area and slowly ran out of patience. The audience also became more restless. The leading Werder player only started the Dortmund build-up 40 meters from their own goal; in front of their own penalty area, defense chief Marco Friedl and Anthony Jung, his partner in central defense, kept the defense stable for a long time. Until captain Can exposed the guests’ defense with a brilliant pass – and Brandt scored the winning goal.
Brandt after trip to the USA: “A few wild nights”
Dortmund’s match winner then spoke on the ARD microphone about a “successful evening”. The trip to the USA and the jet lag are still having an impact, says Brandt. “It was a few wild nights, so we got the most out of it. Bremen defended it sensationally at times.”
Brandt saw the fact that BVB remains unbeaten in the league and was once again able to win a close game as a good sign: “We got the game well under control, such 1-0 victories are also good.”
Afterwards, Bremen’s coach Ole Werner spoke on the ARD microphone about an annoying defeat. “We defended very well for a long time, so this was a performance that we can use as a guide in the next games.”
Bremen welcomes Union, BVB in Frankfurt
Dortmund has to compete again in the Champions League next Wednesday (October 25th, 2023), at Newcastle United. In the Bundesliga, the away game against Eintracht Frankfurt is on Sunday (3:30 p.m.). Werder will play in the league against 1. FC Union Berlin on Saturday (3:30 p.m.).
2023-10-21 08:34:39
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