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Marco Reus got the second goal for DortmundLukasz Piszczek and Marco Reus got among the goals as Borussia Dortmund beat FC Porto 2-0 in the first leg of the round-of-32 tie in Europa League at the Signal Iduna Park.Billed as one of the high-profile clashes lined up in Europe’s second tier competition, the match got off to a flyer when Piszczek broke the deadlock inside 5 minutes. The Dortmund defender had an initial shot from a corner saved by Iker Casillas but made no mistake with his second effort.The game faded into mediocrity from then, as the sides cut a desolate figure and chances came in at a premium. However, The Yellow Brigade doubled the advantage midway in the second half as Reus hooked a shot past Casillas that took a wild deflection off a Porto defender.Der BVB have one leg in the pre-quarters as they now enter the second tie in Portugal next week with an important lead. Here are the major talking points from the game.
#1 A game that flatters to deceive
Borussia Dortmund against FC Porto was one of the games in Europa League that created the most buzz. The prospect of the German and Portuguese giants going head-to-head had sent the media into an absolute frenzy, as a gripping showdown was on the cards.
For all the hype, the match very much flattered to deceive. Although the start was promising as the deadlock was broken in the 5th minute itself, it never took off from there and instead faded. .
Hosts Borussia Dortmund appeared to be taking the game lightly, whilst Porto were disappointing by their standards. There should’ve been more attacks, more drama, more end-to-end affairs and more eye-catching moments, but all that took a backseat as the game wore on.
The stakes were high, but the entertainment wasn’t.
#2 Casillas faced a baptism of fire
Spain legend Iker Casillas made his debut in the Europa League while when he was guarding the net for The Dragons. The illustrious Spaniard was unable to help his side get past the group stages in the Champions League as Porto were consigned to the Europa League after finishing third in their group.
That meant Casillas would make his first ever appearance in Europe's secondary competition, and Dortmund made sure it wouldn’t be a memorable one. The home side beat him not once but twice, and revoked the bitter memories of his 2 previous visits to Signal Iduna Park which came during his Real Madrid days.
Iker Casillas is one of the greatest ever goalkeepers the sport has ever witnessed, but against Borussia Dortmund, that honour has been dwarfed every single time.
#3 Sahin returns with a bang
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin was out for 355 days with an adductor muscle problem and made his season debut for his side when he featured in the line-up against Porto. And to go by his performance, that was some return.
The Turkish international was outstanding for the hosts in the middle of the park as he put on a dominant show in the midfield to impress greatly. Sahin never looked out of practice as he did not put a foot wrong, and played like he was never out of the scene.
Manager Thomas Tuchel opted to sub him off just before the hour mark, but he too was left awe-struck by the kind of resounding return his midfield maestro made.
#4 Porto leave it way too late
After conceding the first goal, there was anticipation that Porto would now shift gears and try to claw their way back into the game, but even when the full-time whistle loomed, they never flew out of their shells.
The Dragons were given the heebie-jeebies by Dortmund by their early pressing and were beaten rather limply. Piszczek had to do little to outfox the Porto backline in the buildup to the first goal, whilst the deflection to Reus’ goal summed their sloppy night at the back.
Speaking of the attack, the less we try to describe it the better. Porto had just 2 shots on target in the entire game, despite having the likes of Aboubakar and Yacine Brahimi in the attack. Period.
Porto have given us some really memorable European moments in the past, the most recent being the humiliation they dished out to Bayern Munich and Chelsea in 2015 in the Champions League. Their performance today, however, was not even a tad close to the same.
#5 Dortmund virtually through but need to up the ante
A 1-0 win would have still kept the tie very much alive heading into the second leg next week, but a 2-goal cushion means Borussia Dortmund are most certain to progress to the next round at the expense of the limp Porto.
Don’t get tricked by the scoreline, Die Borussen weren’t spectacular and deserving of a win, but the fact that they made the most of their chances and comparatively played the better football made the difference today. However, that won’t be enough if they are aiming to go all the way in the competition.
Make no mistake, Borussia Dortmund are no pushovers, but today's game suggested they aren’t heavy favourites as well. Whether they simply fell back on home comfort or were genuinely underwhelming, whatever may be the reason, but BVB must bring their A1 game to the fore as the going is set to get really tough.
