Raphael Guerreiro punctuated Borussia Dortmundś 4-0 Revierderby when he completed his first Bundesliga brace with the outside of his left foot in an early goal-of-the-month candidate and close the books on Dortmund´s most-lopsided win over rival FC Schalke 04 in over 53 years.
With the match being played in a largely empty Signal Iduna Park and under new protocols in response to the coronavirus pandemic, there was plenty about the setting that seemed strange, but after some noticeable rustiness by both sides, the return of competitive football easily took its starring role at center stage.
While the final score would indicate that Lucien Favre´s had a relatively easy day, Favre was called into some early damage control when Giovanna Reyna went from first-time starter to late scratch when the US-international suffered an injury during pre-match warm-ups. With captain Marco Reus (match fitness), Dan-Axel Zagadou (knee), Emre Can (muscular issues), and Axel Witsel (muscular issues) already unavailable, Favre restored Thorgan Hazard to his starterś role.
After a somewhat-uneventful starting phase, young Norwegian star Erling Haaland chested-down a bouncing Julian Brandt cross and quickly fired the first real threatening shot on the Schalke goal, but found only the outer netting (24th minute). Daniel Caligiuri fired a response after a failed Dortmund clearance attempt (26th), but Roman Bürki was equal to the task and kept things level.
how we gon be dancin with the homies when night clubs open up again #BVBS04 #BundesligaIsBack pic.twitter.com/zKZdtHPhx3
— The Cooligans (@SoccerCooligans) May 16, 2020
Haaland would not wait long to put his stamp on his first Revierderby. A cross from the right flank by Hazard provided the invitation for Haalandś tidy left-footed finish for the Bundesligaś first goal of the match day (29th). It was also Haalandś tenth goal in just nine matches since arriving to the Bundesliga.
A mistake by Schalke goalkeeper Markus Schubert opened the door to Dortmund doubling their lead just before halftime. Under pressure from Haaland, Schubert cleared a ball toward midfield directly to Mahmoud Dahoud. The ball moved quickly to Guerreiro via Julian Brandt, and the Portuguese international delivered a precise strike (45th).
Trainer David Wagner made two changes to Schalkeś on-field personnel at halftime, sending Guido Burgstaller and Rabbi Matondo into the derby for Jean-Clair Todibo and Benito Raman, but whatever ever fresh air was to be had from a halftime pause was quickly staled by the hosts. Hazard repaid Favreś trust by making it 3:0 (48th) and the rout was on.
Dortmund did not use the lead to settle into a more-defensive posture, instead displaying the truth behind the cliche of ¨the best defense is a good offense,¨ keeping most of the play in their attacking end and conceding little space to their guests. The final blow came through some quick interplay between the derbyś two standouts, with Haaland and Gurreiro combining to set-up the must-see 4:0 (63rd).
A total of seven personnel changes was the only notable thing about the dayś extended denouement, with both Wagner and Favre taking advantage of the Bundesligaś allowance of up to five substitutions per match in the leagueś return from the break.
Goals
Erling Haaland 29′
Raphaël Guerreiro 45´
Thorgan Hazard 48′
Raphael Guerreiro 63′
