Füllkrug helps BVB down Newcastle and stay on course in Champions League

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Newcastle
Goals: 1-0 Füllkrug 26' (assist: Sabitzer), 2-0 Brandt 79' (assist: Adeyemi)

Saturday's 4-0 Klassiker defeat was a rather terrible day at the office for Dortmund, but they had the chance to provide an immediate response with the visit of the Toon to the Ruhr. And, prior to the interval, they didn't appear to be dwelling on that aforementioned loss as they took the game to their English Premier League opponents. Brandt fired an early warning shot over the bar before Füllkrug and Karim Adeyemi stung Nick Pope's palms with fierce drives in the opening 20 minutes. Die Schwarzgelben eventually bagged the goal their play deserved shortly after the midway point of the first half, when Füllkrug tapped Marcel Sabitzer's pass into the roof of the net after BVB had won a series of 50-50 duels. Defensively, Edin Terzić's side were also solid, with former Hoffenheim man Joelinton's relatively tame header, which was easily held by Gregor Kobel, the vistors' only real effort before the break.

At the start of the second period, Eddie Howe introduced Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almirón from the bench, which initially gave Newcastle extra impetus. The away team's best chance fell to Joelinton, who headed wide from close range when he really should have found the target. While Dortmund's supremacy was no longer as clear, Pope still needed to be alert to twice thwart Brandt, and the home team looked threatening on the counter-attack. Just as it seemed a nervy final 10 minutes awaited Terzić and Co., Brandt finally got himself on the scoresheet, running onto a searching Adeyemi pass before keeping his composure to slot into the bottom corner. Newcastle had no response, meaning Dortmund made it back-to-back European triumphs. They now sit second in Group F, with this victory significantly boosting their hopes of reaching the knockout stages.

Match stats

• Füllkrug's strike was his first of his career in the Champions League.
• Dortmund have now kept four consecutive home clean sheets in Europe's premier club competition for the first time in their history.
• BVB are also unbeaten in their previous seven Champions League home games thanks to this result.
• Dortmund last claimed home and away wins against an English side in a Champions League campaign against Manchester United in 1996/97 (two 1-0 victories in the semi-finals as they went on to lift the trophy).
• This was Borussia’s 150th Champions League match (W69, D31, L49), following Bayern (285) as the only German club to reach that milestone.
• The last English manager to win a Champions League away game in Germany remains Bobby Robson in 2003, when Newcastle beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1. 

Teams

Dortmund: Kobel (c) - Süle, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson - Sabitzer, Özcan - Adeyemi (Reus 81'), Nmecha, Brandt - Füllkrug (Moukoko 87')
Unused subs: Meyer, Lotka, Bensebaini, Reyna, Malen, Wolf, Haller, Bynoe-Gittens, Blank
Out: Can (thigh), Duranville (thigh), Morey (knee)
Coach: Edin Terzić  

Newcastle: Pope - Trippier, Lascelles (c), Schär, Hall (Almirón 46') - Longstaff, Guimarães, Willock (Miley 81') - Livramento, Wilson (Gordon 46'), Joelinton
Unused subs: Dúbravka, Karius, Dummett, De Bolle, Parkinson
Out: Anderson (back), Barnes (foot), Botman (knee), Burn (back), Isak (groin), Manquillo (groin), Murphy (shoulder), Targett (thigh), Tonali (suspended)
Coach: Eddie Howe

As it happened!