Borussia Dortmund got off to a winning start thanks to Marco Reus’ early opener. BVB controlled most of the first half as they looked to double their lead but took the slight advantage going into the break. Bayer Leverkusen were much more improved in the second half and had two goals disallowed for offside. Patrik Schick should have scored one of his chances but quite couldn’t capitalise.
Borussia Dortmund – 1 (Reus)
Gregor Kobel, 9 – What a performance! Kobel didn’t have much to do in the first half but boy was he put to the test in the second 45! He made several outstanding saves and ultimately earned Dortmund the win.
Thomas Meunier, 6 – Meunier gave the ball away a good few times today. He did play his part in some good build-up but overall, a fairly average performance.
Mats Hummels, 8 – A solid and cultured performance by the veteran defender. He won his aerial duels and helped keep a clean sheet.
Nico Schlotterbeck, 8 – A great first performance at home for Schlotterbeck. He made some great challenges and won his aerial battles. He’s already proving a key player for BVB.
Raphael Guerreiro, 7 – Linked up well down the left-hand side with Malen and Rues. He was solid at the back and looked full of energy. A good day all around for Guerreiro.
Mahmoud Dahoud, 8 – Dahoud had a brilliant match. He stopped Leverkusen from building momentum and set his team off on the attack. Overall, a great day at the office for the 26-year-old.
Jude Bellingham, 8 – Bellingham is playing well above his years. His presence in the middle of the park will prove vital this season for BVB. He won the ball high up the pitch for Dortmund’s goal and helped both in attack and defence. Another solid performance.
Karim Adeyemi, 6 – It was such a shame to see Adeyemi forced off after 22 minutes on his Bundesliga debut. It looked like the youngster had opened the scoring until replays showed it was Reus that forced the ball over the line. Despite only featuring for 22 minutes, Adeyemi looked bright and linked up well with his teammates. Hopefully, the injury is nothing serious and he’ll be back on the pitch shortly.
Marco Reus, 8 – He got the winning goal today and led by example. A solid performance and a good start to the season as German national coach Hansi Flick watched on.
Donyell Malen, 7 – Malen was impressive in the first half and linked up well with Reus, Moukoko, and Guerreiro. In the second half, BVB were pushed back and therefore Malen drifted in and out of the match.
Youssoufa Moukoko, 7 – He set up the goal today and played his part as the main striker. Moukoko held the ball up well for BVB and linked up well with his teammates. At such a young age, it’s clear to see why Dortmund rate the youngster so highly. A solid performance.
Others – Hazard (7), Brandt (5), Wolf (6), Can (-)
Bayer Leverkusen – 0
Lukas Hrádecký, 3 – Hrádecký was busy in the first half but had little to do in the second. When he handled the ball outside the box with minutes to spare, it was always going to end badly. You just can’t take that risk and Hrádecký should know that.
Jeremie Frimpong, 5 – Frimpong, as well as his fellow defenders, struggled at the beginning of the game. They got better as the game got on but couldn’t quite help his team get back into the game.
Jonathan Tah, 5 – Tah gave the ball a good few times in the first half and struggled to keep BVB at bay. Despite a better second 45 minutes, Tah had an average game but his standards.
Edmond Tapsoba, 6 – Defender turned goalkeeper! Poor Tapsoba, he played his part in the second half to keep BVB at bay but then had to go in goal when Hrádecký was sent off. The other Leverkusen players looked terrified about the prospect of going in goal. So credit to Tapsoba though it was only a couple of minutes after all.
Piero Hincapié, 5 – The left-back was poor in the first half. He and his team improved in the second but never really assisted in Bayer’s attacking play. Replaced by a more attacking wing-back, Hincapié couldn’t quite get into this one.
Robert Andrich, (-) – Substituted after 13 minutes after picking up an injury.
Exequiel Palacios, 6 – He was fortunate not to be sent off in the first half. A high-footed challenge that earned him a yellow could easily have been red. Palacios scored what he thought was the equaliser but was marginally offside.
Karim Bellarabi, 4 – Came off at half-time and didn’t do anything in the first half to help get his team back into the tie. A disappointing day for Bellarabi.
Kerem Demirbay, 6 – It didn’t quite work for Demirbay today. He and his team played better in the second half but couldn’t quite make the difference when he was on.
Moussa Diaby, 7 – Diaby was possibly the best forward for Bayer. He made numerous good runs and carried the ball well. He set up Schick several times but the Czech couldn’t convert.
Patrik Schick, 5 – It was a poor game for Schick. He got into some great positions and should have taken one of his chances. He was met by an inspired Kobel but as an international striker, he should have at least got one goal today.
Others – Hložek (5), Azmoun (6), Amiri (5), Bakker (5)
GGFN
