Bundesliga
Dortmund delight in winning return
After three defeats in all competitions, Borussia Dortmund downed RB Leipzig in what Black-and-Yellows coach Nuri Şahin described as, “Our best performance of the season”.
The win was a welcome one for all concerned at Dortmund, not least the 80,000 fans who packed into Signal Iduna Park to witness the narrow, yet ultimately deserved victory for the hosts. For Şahin, the negative sequence of results ending on Saturday night will help to quieten some of the criticism that has surrounded BVB of late.
The 36-year-old tactician acknowledged that he understood the voices of concern in the lead up to the Leipzig game, yet that apprehension turned to praise for a Borussia side who picked up an important scalp against a side that had previously been unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season. "It was our best game of the season in terms of the 90 minutes, not only in terms of the battling side of things, but also in terms of play; it was a great performance from my boys," Şahin enthused after his teams 2-1 win against Die Roten Bullen.
Watch: Dortmund take maximum spoils against Leipzig
Plagued by injury problems of late, Şahin was again forced into changes for the Matchday 9 fixture and when Leipzig's Benjamin Šeško put the visitors 1-0 up with what was their first shot on goal, locals would have been forgiven for thinking, 'here we go again.' Yet the response from Die Schwarzgelben was fitting of a side desperate to reverse their fortunes.
Just three minutes after going behind, young Germany international Maximilian Beier equalised from a corner with what was his first Bundesliga goal in Borussia colours. Serhou Guirassy later added the home side's second and although BVB could have had more (the game's final shot count stood at 22-8 in Dortmund's favour), two goals proved enough to take the three points.
Watch: Emre Can - "This win feels amazing"
BVB's defence - with captain Emre Can filling in at its centre - has come into sharp focus of late, yet the home back line performed admirably against Leipzig and was one of the major factors for the triumph. This was all the more admirable given Dortmund's struggles of late and because the away side came into this fixture on the back of 19 Bundesliga games without a loss.
“This victory is really good for all of us,” Can said after the match. After a bitterly disappointing DFB Cup loss to Wolfsburg during the week, gaining maximum spoils in Saturday evening's showcase game brought so much relief to Can and his teammates. It also brought Dortmund back among the front runners in the standings.
The Black-and-Yellows are currently in fifth spot, one point behind defending champions Bayer Leverkusen and four off Leipzig, who sit second. But perhaps even more important was the positive energy felt inside Signal Iduna Park after the final whistle on Saturday. It was akin to a reawakening.