Borussia Dortmund have lost in the Bundesliga for the first time
since Matchday 17 (2-1 in Cologne). Though dominant, they were beaten
1-0 (1-0) by a relegation-embattled Eintracht Frankfurt.
51,500 spectators in a sold-out Commerzbank-Arena saw Stefan Aigner (14') score the only goal of the game. Despite having 84% possession and 13 shots to Frankfurt's five, BVB were lacking the ideas in the final third to break through Eintracht's defensive wall. However, they could count themselves unlucky to see a legitimate headed goal by Mats Hummels (45'+1) disallowed by match official Daniel Siebert from Berlin, who felt the defender was in an offside position.
Felix Ulrich reporting
The scenario:
It was the best team since the winter break away to 16th-placed Frankfurt. However, the relegation-embattled outfit from Hesse had recently won twice in a row (two 2-1 victories against Mainz and Darmstadt). Under new coach Nico Kovac, Eintracht have "completely changed their style of play," according to Tuchel. "They are extremely dangerous without the ball," said the BVB coach, who even warned his charges in the run-up to the match against complacency with this month's DFB Cup final against Bayern in mind: "If our planning was already focused on Berlin, then that would have been our first mistake."
For the Black and Yellows, the task at hand was to pick up points 78, 79 and 80 of the season - and maintain their pursuit of the club record (81 points).
Borussia Dortmund fielded their two best strikers in the last away match of the season, with Adrian Ramos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starting in the Commerzbank-Arena. Nuri Sahin stepped in for the suspended Julian Weigl, while a muscular injury saw Lukasz Piszczek replaced by Erik Durm. The injured Neven Subotic (arm thrombosis) and Ilkay Gündogan (dislocated kneecap) were not in the squad. Eintracht Frankfurt coach Nico Kovac made three changes to the team that won 2-1 away in Darmstadt: Aigner, Castaignos and Djakpa begin in place of Fabian, Gacinovic (both bench) and Seferovic (suspended).
Tactics:
Eintracht only reverted to the expected back five at times, with Djakpa on the left dropping back into the defensive line when Oczipka moved inwards to strengthen the centre. But for the most part, Djapka formed a second defensive block in front of the back four alongside Huszti and Hasebe. Frankfurt played with a front three: Ben-Hatira on the left, Aigner on the right and Castaignos spearheading the attack in the middle.
Borussia countered Frankfurt's 4-3-2-1 with a highly flexible 2-3-3-2 formation and lined up with two strikers for the first time this season (Aubameyang right, Ramos left), who largely operated out on the flanks. The offensive midfield trio of Mkhitaryan, Kagawa and Reus thus took it in turns to occupy the central striker position. Behind them were Durm, Sahin and Schmelzer, though Sahin frequently dropped back between the two central defenders in the visitors' build-up play.
The match & analysis:
Oh how statistics can "lie"... BVB were very much the dominant force in the opening 45 minutes, recording 80% possession, winning 62% of all tackles, playing almost four times as many passes as Eintracht (354:82, 86% pass completion rate) and having more shots (6:3). But it was Frankfurt who led after 45 minutes – and it was not undeserved either.
BVB's first chance of the match fell to Aubameyang, with the Gabon international firing well over the bar in the 24th minute after being set up by Reus. Durm (29') also came close to restoring parity with an effort from 18 metres out, but Eintracht custodian Hradecky saved his shot from a central position. Shortly before the break the Black and Yellows had two more chances: Aubameyang (40') couldn't quite reach Reus' header across goal, before Hummels headed the ball over Hradecky and into the net in first-half stoppage time following a long pass from Sahin (45'+1). However, referee Siebert incorrectly ruled the goal out for offside.
Hummels header hits the woodwork
After the break Thomas Tuchel brought on Sokratis for Durm. But soon thereafter the match official was back in the spotlight: following a free-kick from Schmelzer Hummels headed the ball goalbound, only for Hradecky to parry onto the bar. There was no opportunity for a rebound, though, as Siebert had inexplicably penalised BVB for a foul. It was the second completely wrong decision from the 33-year-old Berliner.
Double chance through Mkhitaryan
The 65th minute saw BVB make a double substitution, with Castro and Pulisic replacing Aubameyang and Hummels. Then, following a corner, Frankfurt's Abraham suddenly had the chance to make it 2-0 (67'), though his header went well over the bar. In the closing stages Eintracht defended their lead with everything they had. For once, BVB were simply lacking in ideas - and sometimes the necessary timing and conviction to break down Frankfurt's defensive wall. The best chances for an equaliser were spurned by Mkhitaryan, who initially failed to beat Hradecky (82') before heading the ball onto the roof of the net (85').Prospects:
Borussia Dortmund still have two matches of the 2015/16 season remaining. The first comes next Saturday, when BVB welcome 1. FC Köln to SIGNAL IDUNA PARK in the league, before they face FC Bayern in the DFB Cup final in Berlin a week later.
CREDIT TO:http://www.bvb.de/eng/News/Overview/1-0-loss-in-Frankfurt-BVB-suffer-first-league-defeat-of-2016
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