Dortmund narrowly move past Leverkusen
Backed by an electric Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund defeated Leverkusen 1-0 in a feisty affair.
| Thorgan Hazard. | Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0 |
Moussa Diaby produced an especially magical run in the first half, but was unable to make a final pass to create an opportunity on goal. Patrik Schick was pretty much shut down to start the contest, as Nico Schlotterbeck was extremely decisive in his challenges.
Dortmund took their 1-0 lead into the second half, but Leverkusen returned more determined and progressive. A Exequiel Palacios goal was called offside to began a wild 45 minutes, which included many Leverkusen near misses.
Diaby moved to his usual place on the right when newcomer Adam Hlozek was subbed on. But, it made no difference. Schick missed several unbelievable opportunities after some world-class Gregor Kobel saves. An own-goal from Schlotterbeck was also called back for offsides.
Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky was given a red card in extra time when reaching out to grab the ball in front of his box. Center-back Edmond Tapsoba took his place in goal, but Reus couldn’t hit the target on his free-kick.
While Leverkusen controlled much of the possession in the second half, Dortmund’s defense did just enough to escape with a clean sheet.
It’s a beautiful sight to see “The Yellow Wall” return in full force to start the new season. The Bundesliga is all the way back.
