BVB at the top for a day: 3-1 win over Mainz

Posted On: October 16, 2021
Posted By: Winston Ferguson

A magical goal from captain Marco Reus and two goals from returnee Erling Haaland brought Borussia Dortmund to the top of the Bundesliga for at least a day.

8th day

With a 3-1 (1-0) victory over FSV Mainz, coach Marco Rose’s side overtook the top two teams Munich and Leverkusen, who face off at the top of the league on Sunday.

A remarkable 15-meter shot from Reus (3rd minute) in the corner of the goal, a penalty from the hand transformed by Haaland (54th) and a last-minute strike by the Norwegian (90th + 4) were in the signal of the BVB in front . of 63,812 spectators Iduna Park the reward of a concentrated performance which encourages the Champions League game on Tuesday at Ajax Amsterdam. On the other hand, Mainz suffered their third consecutive defeat. Jonathan Burkardt’s late goal (87th) didn’t change anything either.

The return of Haaland, who missed the last three games against Mönchengladbach (0: 1), Sporting Lisbon (1: 0) and FC Augsburg (2: 1) with a thigh contusion, should revive the Borussia game. “He really wanted to play, but he’s not 100 percent yet,” coach Rose commented before the game.

But even without Haaland’s direct help, Borussia got off to a tailored start. The first shot on the opposing goal gave the advantage. With the help of Mainz, a cross from Thomas Meunier found the way to captain Reus, who carried the ball remarkably from 15 meters into the right corner of the goal. The Bundesliga’s best defense to date was defeated after just three minutes.

Despite the early deficit, the guests continued to rely on their defensive tactics. It turned out to be a smart move. At least they managed to calm things down and stop the BVB attack. It was only with a shot from Reus (21st) 18 meters just off the goal after a pass from Haaland (21st) that Rose’s team approached another goal – and that with a Nearly 80% ball possession for BVB in the 1st half.

It was only a few seconds before the break that the FSV’s coverage started to weaken again. First goalkeeper Robin Zentner saved against Haaland in a desperate situation, then defender Moussa Niakhaté cleared just before the goal line.

The intensive work backwards prevented the Mainz side from doing anything for the attacking play on their own. BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel remained virtually unemployed until the break as all attempts against guests failed.

The second half started off as successfully for BVB as the first: after a hand from Silvan Widmer, referee Daniel Schlager decided on a penalty with the help of video referee. And Haaland did not miss this chance of his eighth goal of the season.

The resistance of the strong Mainz team was not yet extinguished. Just minutes after the 2-0 draw, Karim Onisiwo (62nd) missed the opportunity to score when he lifted the ball alone not only on BVB goalkeeper Kobel, but also on goal. In the following minutes, the FSV looked for a chance, but were rewarded too late with the goal of substitute Burkardt. BVB must therefore wait for the first Bundesliga match without conceding a goal. Haaland then removed any doubts about Borussia’s well-deserved victory with his stoppage-time goal.