Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Union Berlin: Youssoufa Moukoko nets late to keep BVB’s Bundesliga title hopes alive
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Updated 08/04/2023 at 16:40 GMT
Borussia Dortmund bounced back from a torrid seven days to get back on the winning trail with victory over Union Berlin. BVB’s title hopes took a knock with the mauling at the hands of Byern Munich last weekend, and they were stunned by RB Leipzig in the DFB Pokal in midweek. Youssoufa Moukoko climbed off the bench to score a late winner for Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
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Youssoufa Moukoko was the match winner for Borussia Dortmund on his 50th Bundesliga appearance as Edin Terzic’s side sealed a 2-1 win over fellow title challengers Union Berlin at the Westfalenstadion.
Coming into the match off the back of two straight defeats in all competitions, Die Schwartzgelben knew they had a tough test against a Union side who were just one position and two points below them in the table before a ball was kicked. There was also added impetus for Dortmund head coach Terzic, who took charge of his 50th Bundesliga match.
It was a nervy start for the home side, and Union looked the more threatening outfit in the early exchanges. As the match progressed, BVB weathered the storm and began to find joy down the left-hand side with switches of play.
One such move resulted in BVB taking the lead shortly before the half-hour mark, as Raphael Guerreiro’s low cross from the left byline was tapped in by Donyell Malen at the back post.
However, Dortmund were caught off guard by some direct play by Union, and Kevin Behrens got the away side back on level terms on 61 minutes with a calm finish beyond Gregor Kobel.
With time ticking, Terzic made some attacking changes to try and find a late winner, and the gamble paid off, as with 10 minutes to play, Moukoko was on hand to provide the strike that they needed.
The young forward rounded Union 'keeper Frederik Ronnow before placing it beyond the Dane to send the Dortmund fans into raptures.
The result sees BVB remain in second place, two points behind Bayern Munich. Union stay in third, seven points behind the league leaders.
TALKING POINT - VITAL WIN FOR DORTMUND IN THE TITLE RACE
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Borussia Dortmund's Donyell Malen celebrates scoring with Raphael Guerreiro during the German Bundesliga football match between Borussia Dortmund and Union Berlin in Dortmund on April 8, 2023
Image credit: Getty Images
With Union Berlin hot on Dortmund's heels at the start of the day, Die Schwartzgelben knew they could not afford to drop points to a title rival and damage their own hopes with a third straight defeat in all competitions. Two bruising losses - the first being against Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker in their last league fixture, followed by a DFB Pokal exit at the hands of RB Leipzig in midweek - definitely had an effect on confidence.
Despite showing their superiority throughout the game with more than double the attempts on goal compared to their opponents, a lapse in concentration by BVB allowed Union to do what they do best, as Urs Fischer's side equalised from a direct ball forward out of defence. It meant that Dortmund had to change something to give themselves a chance of finding a winner.
That they did, as Moukoko's impact off the bench cannot be underestimated in the circumstances. The 18-year-old sealed an important three points for his side, as they kept up the pace with table topping Bayern Munich following their win over Freiburg.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Raphael Guerreiro
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Raphaël Guerreiro
Image credit: Imago
The 29-year-old was the best player on the pitch by some margin. He was deployed at left-back and despite his additional defensive responsibilities, his marauding runs forward and dangerous crossing caused panic in the Union defence.
One such cross saw him provide the assist for Dortmund's opening goal, as a low ball into the area was tapped home by his Dutch team-mate Malen. He also prevented a certain goal at the other end in the second half with a superb last-ditch sliding challenge on Sheraldo Becker when the Union striker was through on goal.
In total, Guerreiro had pass accuracy of 89%, won two tackles and made four key passes.
PLAYER RATINGS
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel 6, Guerreiro 8, Hummels 7, Sule 6, Ryerson 7, Bellingham 7, Can 7, Brandt 7, Adeyemi 6, Haller 6, Malen 7. Subs: Moukoko 7, Reus 6, Ozcan 6, Bynoe-Gittens 6.
1. FC Union Berlin: Ronnow 7, Jaeckel 6, Knoche 6, Doekhi 6, Juranovic 6, Thorsby 6, Khedira 6, Haberer 6, Giesselmann 6, Becker 7, Behrens 7. Subs: Siebatcheu 6, Pantovic 6, Seguin 6, Michel 6, Leweling 6.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
28’ - GOAL! (Donyell Malen) - BVB take the advantage! Guerreiro receives it from Bellingham, after the midfielder shifts the ball out to the left flank from the centre of the pitch. The Portuguese then fires in a low cross into the danger area, and Malen cleverly gets ahead of his man at the back post, and scores an easy tap-in!
43’ - WHAT A SAVE! - Brilliant football once again from Dortmund! Another switch of play sees Guerreiro get some space to work in an inverted position down the left. He puts in a cross with nice technique towards the back post for Haller to meet, but the striker's header from point-blank range is saved by the outstretched leg of Ronnow, who makes his body big and keeps it out!
61’ - GOAL! (Kevin Behrens) - A bit of direct play results in a goal for Union Berlin! A long ball is played from defence, and Behrens wins the first contact to flick it on for Becker outside the box. The striker then makes a clever off=the-ball run and receives the give-and-go after some neat hold-up play from his strike partner, before beating Sule and placing the ball beyond Kobel!
71’ - GREAT TACKLE! - Goal-saving tackle from Guerreiro! Becker is in on goal after receiving it in the area from a long ball, and just as the forward is about to set himself for the strike, Guerreiro makes a risky sliding challenge to nick the ball of the Surinamese striker! A crucial moment!
79’ - GOAL! (Youssoufa Moukoko) - An error costs Union! Seguin is caught ball watching as Reus sees the run of Moukoko, and threads it in with a deft through ball. The young forward sees Ronnow come off his line, and rounds him, before slotting it home on his 50th Bundesliga appearance!
KEY STATS
- Edin Terzic celebrated his 32nd win in his 50th Bundesliga match as a manager - no other coach has earned as many victories as he has in their first 50 matches in charge of Dortmund.
- Borussia Dortmund completed 21 successful dribbles compared to Union Berlin's 10, and had a passing accuracy of 85% compared to just 73% for the visitors. However, Die Eisernen completed seven more tackles (26) then their opponents (19).
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