Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis | Champions League 2019/20

#2 Marc-Andre ter Stegen bails Barcelona out, again

Ter Stegen thwarted Dortmund dexterously

Back in 2014, Barcelona acquired Marc-Andre ter Stegen from Borussia Monchengladbach looking to install the German as their long-term goalkeeper. However, he didn’t enjoy a smooth beginning with Claudio Bravo preferred initially.

Yet, since the Chilean left for newer pastures, the German has made the keeper’s slot his own and has quietly established himself as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet.

On countless occasions, his cat-like reflexes and propensity to double up as a sweeper at the back have dug Barcelona out of holes. And, against Dortmund, he came up with a similarly stellar performance to ensure the visitors came away with a share of the spoils.

Early in the game, ter Stegen went eyeball to eyeball with his compatriot, Reus. The former stood up tall and read the latter’s attempted far-post finish. Subsequently, the keeper came out on top.

The pair renewed their rivalry in the second period when Reus was handed the opportunity to open the scoring from the penalty spot. However, the Barcelona keeper outwitted him as he guessed right and made a stupendous save.

A few minutes later, the Dortmund skipper was found expertly by Julian Brandt in the eighteen-yard box. The forward tiptoed his way towards goal before seeing his double effort thwarted by ter Stegen.

Over the past eighteen months, Barcelona haven’t been inspiring on the road and inevitably, ter Stegen has had a lot of work to do. However, the keeper has managed to come up trumps more often than not.

In another interesting sub-plot, the German recently voiced his opinion on replacing Manuel Neuer and not playing for his country enough.

And, to that end, he might just have proven a thing or two to a few people on Tuesday, especially back in his native nation.