BVB run, fight and win clearly in Freiburg | OneFootball

BVB covered 1.5 kilometres more than one of the league's hardest-running teams in the first half and deservedly – given their superiority in terms of shots at goal (8-3) and possession (56%) – took in a 1-0 lead at the break through Adeyemi's 34th-minute goal. Bensebaini thwarted a potential equaliser 33 seconds after the restart. Amid a period of Freiburg pressure, Chukwuemeka scored the goal for 2-0 on his first start (52) before substitute Guirassy increased BVB's lead to 3-0 (68). Gittens rounded off the victory on the 78-minute mark, before Eggestein grabbed a goal back at the end to make it 4-1.

The scenario:   Seventh versus 10th. The Black & Yellows had won their six previous meetings with Sportclub; they did not have a longer such run against any other Bundesliga opponent.

Personnel matters:  BVB travelled without the suspended Schlotterbeck and Couto and minus the injured Sabitzer, but Guirassy and Nmecha were back in the squad. There were three changes to the starting line-up compared to the 3-1 victory against Mainz a week earlier: Bensebaini, Svensson and Chukwuemeka replaced Schlotterbeck, Couto and Özcan, who dropped to the bench, where he was joined by the returning Nmecha and Guirassy.

Tactics:  Bensebaini moved over to the left of the back three in the Black & Yellows' 3-5-2 formation. Ryerson was positioned significantly further forward on the right flank than Svensson on the left. Brandt played a much deeper role than he has done recently in a centre-left position, while Chukwuemeka lined up between the two strikers (Beier, Adeyemi) and mostly operated from the left. Freiburg took to the field in a 4-2-2-2 system and pressed high in certain off-the-ball situations while also defending deep in others.

The match & analysis:Freiburg twice got into dangerous positions in the Dortmund penalty area in the first quarter of an hour, but Groß thwarted Grifo (8) and the unmarked Adamu then did not make proper contact with the ball (14), though a goal would have been disallowed for offside. BVB frequently had the ball but initially hardly threatened in the final third and created their most promising opportunity following a set-piece. Groß delivered a corner-kick towards Bensebaini, whose header was stopped on the line by the outstretched leg of a Freiburg player (12).

As the match progressed, the Black & Yellows popped up in and around the Freiburg box increasingly often. Borussia initially did not get a shot away following Brandt's switch-ball over to Adeyemi on the left flank. But the clearance was underhit and landed back at the feet of Adeyemi, whose shot from 16 metres out was blocked (30). Ryerson dashed down the right flank four minutes later and delivered a cross, but the ball was not cleared properly by Lienhart. Groß fired goalbound from 16 metres out but Beier was standing in the path of the shot and deflected it to Adeyemi, who showed fast reactions and excellent technique as he beat Kübler and fired home at 110km/h from a centre-left position around eight metres from goal.

The first hearts-in-mouths moment came directly after the interval. Grifo's cross went to Doan in the middle of the penalty box. Kobel threw himself at the Freiburg player and saved, before Bensebaini intervened on the goal-line. 33 seconds had been played. Freiburg had set their sights high for the second period and made that clear. But then Ginter misplaced a pass on the halfway line. Brandt intercepted the ball, Adeyemi passed the ball on to Beier and he in turn played it to Chukwuemeka. The Englishman ran at the Freiburg defence and unleashed a shot from approximately 20 metres out. The ball took a decisive deflection off Lienhart, leaving Müller in the Freiburg goal no chance of getting to the ball (52).

Freiburg kept up the pressure. The injured Bensebaini was replaced like-for-like by Özcan, while Guirassy came on for Beier in a period of the game in which the Black & Yellows had little control. Until the double substitution anyway. They then won the ball back level with the half-way line, and Chukwuemeka did brilliantly to get the better of three Freiburg players. He set Brandt in motion, who was clean through on the left flank and spotted the run of Guirassy, who was left with a simple tap into the net (68).

The game was more than up by this point. Freiburg had had the rug pulled from under them. Dortmund continued to allow the opposition to have the ball – and then struck again: Groß fed Osterhage down the right flank and Ryerson left Makengo trailing in his wake before delivering a delicate cross for Gittens to head home for 4-0 (78). Eggestein grabbed a deserved consolation goal shortly before full-time.

Outlook:  The match in Freiburg was the first of three consecutive away games in the space of eight days. BVB will travel to FC Barcelona for their UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday evening (kick-off at 21:00 CEST), before travelling away to FC Bayern Munich on Saturday (18:30 CEST).

Boris Rupert reporting from Freiburg

Teams & goals

Bundesliga Matchday 28 Saturday 5 April 2025, 15:30 CEST SC FREIBURG 1-4 (0-1) BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Sportclub Freiburg: Müller – Kübler, Ginter, Lienhart (Rosenfelder, 69), Makengo – Eggestein, Osterhage (Beste, 79) – Doan, Grifo (Höfler, 79) – Höler (Dinkci, 69), Adamu (Gregoritsch, 79)Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Anton, Can, Bensebaini (Özcan, 61) – Ryerson, Groß, Brandt, Svensson (Kabar, 85) – Chukwuemeka (Nmecha, 69) – Beier (Guirassy, 61), Adeyemi (Gittens, 69)Substitutes: Huth, Günter, Sildillia, Manzambi – Meyer, Reyna, Duranville, Lührs Goals: 0-1 Adeyemi (Beier, 34), 0-2 Chukwuemeka (Beier, 52), 0-3 Guirassy (Brandt, 68), 0-4 Gittens (Ryerson, 78), 1-4 Eggestein (Doan, 88)Corners: 3-4 (0-2 at half-time), chance ratio: 4-7 (1-2)Referee: Zwayer (Berlin), yellow card: GinterAttendance: 34,700 (sold-out), weather: sunny, 20 degrees