Barcelona and Dortmund fight out bitter goalless stalemate
Borussia Dortmund dominate at home, but fail to beat Barcelona
Barcelona’s clash with Borussia Dortmund ended in a goalless draw which was exciting from the first minute to the last. Dortmund were clearly the better side, but an inspired performance by Marc-André ter Stegen allowed the side to register the first points of the European season.
Ernesto Valverde’s men received the most unsurprisingly hostile welcome at the Signal Iduna Park, and the Yellow Wall were cheering heartily from the first minute of play. They drove on a confident Dortmund side who put lots of early pressure.
As the game developed, Barça really got into it. Luis Suárez was oozing confidence after scoring a brace as a substitute in the recent 5-2 victory against Valencia. On the other hand, Antoine Griezmann’s contributions were mostly in defence.
Dortmund had a few chances in the first-half, mostly off counter-attacks. But Barça were really dangerous from dead balls. Arthur showed significant flair as a corner tacker, and his set pieces caused problems for Roman Burki.
The side got a big setback when Jordi Alba hobbled off to be replaced by Sergi Roberto in the 39th minute. It was evident in the second-half as Dortmund started dominating the game. They had a high defensive line, and closed in whenever they lost possession.
It culminated in Barça conceding a penalty in the 55th minute. Nélson Semedo made a bad tackle in the box, but Marc-André ter Stegen saved the day with an excellent save off Marco Reus. He also showed a lot of composure as he managed to keep hold of the ball on the rebound.
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Valverde had a response to the pressure. He brought on Lionel Messi for the disappointing Ansu Fati, while Sergio Busquets was replaced by Ivan Rakitić. But Dortmund still had the upper hand, and created a lot of chances.
Paco Alcácer had a couple of good chances, and Marco Reus missed from point-blank range twice. Substitute Julian Brandt also hit the crossbar. Valverde’s changes really started to take effect in the last 10 minutes of the game.
A long spell of possession, led by Messi, put the Dortmund defence under a lot of pressure. But they recovered, and returned the pressure with a high press despite the tired legs. In the end, the match ended as a stalemate.
Teenage sensation Ansu Fati looked uncomfortable on the right flank, and didn’t have enough time to settle in when he was shifted to the left. Luis Suárez was decent, but failed to make an impact in the second-half. As for Antoine Griezmann, his presence on the pitch went almost unnoticed.
Frenkie de Jong was very impressive when he changed roles to holding midfielder, but was not very dynamic as a playmaker. Sergio Busquets was disappointing, and so was Nélson Semedo. Gerard Piqué and Clément Lenglet both made errors.
The standout performers were Marc-André ter Stegen and Arthur. The German goalkeeper was Barça’s best player, and made some crucial saves in the second-half to secure a point for the Blaugrana. Arthur was equally good, showing composure under pressure.
Sergi Roberto was very good at right-back, and quelled the threat posed by Jadon Sancho admirably. Ivan Rakitić also had an air of calmness about him which led to an improved performance from Barça late in the game.
Lionel Messi’s first appearance of the season is certainly a warming-up, and there is a lot to come from the Barça skipper. He made waves, and had an opportunity in what turned out to be the last kick of the game. But his effort was blocked.
The best player on the pitch was certainly Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels. He hardly put a foot wrong all game, and repelled the likes of Luis Suárez with ease. Midfielder Thomas Delaney was also very impressive, with his range of passing.
Next. What should Barça do with Ansu Fati?. dark
On what was a disappointing night for Barça, there is some solace in the fact that Ter Stegen can boost his chances of getting into the Germany first-team. But otherwise, questions will be asked of Barça’s performance in a game where they were favourites.