Impressive Dortmund edge past Newcastle

Newcastle 0-1 Borussia Dortmund
Goals: 0-1 Nmecha 45' (assist: Schlotterbeck)

After no goals and just one point from their opening two European fixtures of the campaign, Dortmund needed a result in the north of England to boost their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages. They needed just 68 seconds to register their first shot on target, with Donyell Malen shooting low at Nick Pope following a quick counter-attack, and that effort was the first of many before the break. Malen was the main protagonist, firing off another five shots - one of which was brilliantly denied by Pope immediately before the goalkeeper also thwarted Niclas Füllkrug from close range - but it was Nmecha who gave his side the lead on the stroke of half-time. Another swift move found Nico Schlotterbeck on the left flank, allowing the centre-back to pull back to the midfielder on the edge of the box. Nmecha still had plenty to do, but produced a fantastic first-time finish to break the deadlock - he could hardly have chosen a better time to score his first Dortmund goal. Newcastle occasionally threatened, with Gregor Kobel needing to be alert to twice deny Anthony Gordon, but the visitors more than deserved to be in front at the break.

Unsurprisingly, the Tynesiders pushed forward after the restart as they looked get back on level terms. Shortly before the hour mark, they would have done exactly that if not for Kobel, who marvelously kept out Callum Wilson's attempt from close range. With his side looking to defend their lead, Edin Terzić rang the changes, boosting his backline with the introduction of Niklas Süle. Wilson once again came within inches of beating Kobel as the match approached its climax, but this time, the crossbar came to the 25-year-old's rescue. In the end, Dortmund were able to see the match out, prevailing to leapfrog Newcastle into Group F's second spot, with Paris Saint-Germain currently top with six points. Die Schwarzgelben have four points themselves, and they will look to secure consolidate their place in the top two when they host Newcastle at the Signal Iduna Park on November 7.

• Not only was the opener Nmecha's first for Dortmund, it was his maiden strike on his fourth Champions League appearance.
• This triumph ended Dortmund's run of six consecutive defeats away at English clubs.
• Newcastle came out second best against a German outfit for the first time, with this their sixth such encounter.
• Dortmund have now lost just one of their 12 competitive fixtures this term.
• The Bundesliga outfit have kept three clean sheets in their last four matches.
• Alexander Isak was making his first appearance against Dortmund since his move to Real Sociedad in 2019.

Teams

Newcastle: Pope - Trippier, Schär, Lascelles (c), Burn (Targett 70') – Longstaff (Tonali 65'), Guimarães, Joelinton (Murphy 65', Willock 70') – Gordon, Isak (Wilson 15'), Almirón
Unused subs: Dúbravka, Karius, Dummett, Hall, Livramento
Out: Barnes (foot), Botman (knee)
Coach: Eddie Howe

Dortmund: Kobel - Wolf, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini - Nmecha (Reyna 79'), Can (c) (Özcan 43'), Sabitzer - Reus (Adeyemi 63'), Füllkrug (Haller 79'), Malen (Süle 78')
Unused subs: Meyer, Lotka, Blank, Bynoe-Gittens, Moukoko
Out: Duranville (thigh), Morey (knee), Ryerson (ill), Brandt (calf)
Coach: Edin Terzić

As it happened!