15.30 Kickoffs: Dominant Stuttgart shock Dortmund with 5-1 shellacking
In a match very much reminiscent of FC Bayern München's 1-5 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the tenth round of the previous campaign, Lucien Favre's Dortmund found themselves completely dismantled by VfB Stuttgart.
| Photo: Borussia Dortmund |
Team captain Marco Reus attempted to fill the boots of injured talisman Erling Braut Haaland this time, deployed as lead striker in a set up that moved Jadon Sancho over to the left flank and Giovanni Reyna into a semi-ten role behind him. The visiting Swabians easily disrupted the hosts' possession scheme early, earning no fewer than five goal-scoring opportunities in the opening 25 minutes.
The Schwarzgelben still hadn't generated a legitimate scoring chance when Stuttgart grabbed a much-deserved lead in the 27th. Emré Can had little choice but to slide in with a risky tackle inside the box on Matteo Klimowicz, gifting the VfB their sixth chance at a lead via a penalty. Silas Wamangituka easily slid the ball past Roman Bürki, who still awaits his first Bundesliga penalty save.
After the Badeners squandered numerous chances to increase their lead, a moment of magic from Giovanni Reyna late in the first half enabled Dortmund to equalize against the run of play. Raphaël Guerreiro located the 18-year-old American with an incredible forward, defense-splitting aerial in the 39th. The young phenom executed a filthy slick first touch, then supplied even more magic with an incredible finish off the outside of his boot.
The Westphalian hosts played with a bit more confidence and gusto both for the remainder of the half and the opening five minutes after the restart. An horrible passing error in the 53rd, however, enabled the visitors to reclaim the lead. Orel Mangala won the ball deep in the danger area off a broken give-and-go between Guerreiro and Jude Bellingham. The 22-year-old Belgian international then located Wamangituka unmarked. A nice control and finish saw the Congolese striker complete a brace.
After Wamantigituka's second goal, the BVB simply fell to pieces. The Swabians unleashed wave after wave of attack against the scattered, confused, and rattled defensive ranks of their opponents. Philipp Förster added a third in the 61st, afforded all the time and space necessary for an easy finish as five Dortmund defenders ball watched. Tanguy Coulibaly capitalized on another Bellingham ball loss to add a fourth less than three minutes later. Substitute Nicolas Gonzalez torched both Dortmund center backs to score the fifth at 90+1.
Amidst the Stuttgart onslaught, another Reyna goal was disallowed in the 87th. The deflected finish (prior to which Youssoufa Moukoko was adjudged to be offside) actually constituted the only other legitimate chance produced by Favre's men. Stuttgart also hit the post twice, pushing their xG to four times that of their counterparts.
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga's 15:30 kickoffs, Leipzig had little difficulty holding onto an early lead to best Bremen 2-0. Freiburg also completely a very important victory over Arminia Bielefeld by the same scoreline. Köln held off Mainz 1-0 while Gladbach and Hertha traded second-half goals to draw 1-1
