Champions League football is always overloaded with the promise of abundantly quality football, and Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid was the biggest fixture of this second Champions League matchday. The game more than lived up to its billing, as the two sides exchanged blows at various points to provide a number of twists to a well-contested match.
The match ended 2-2, with Dortmund striking back on both occasions following goals by Real Madrid. The first goal was scored by Cristiano Ronaldo but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang levelled in the 43rd minute. Raphael Varane put Madrid in the lead but substitute Andre Schurrle scored the final goal of the game in the 87th minute.
Here are five talking points from the best fixture of this week:
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo roars back into form
The Real Madrid talisman was criticised by a number of people after a rather forgettable outing against Las Palmas during the weekend, in which he was substituted after 72 minutes. There were even whispers as to whether the Euro 2016 winner is experiencing the first signs of an eventual fall from the summit.
All of those were invalidated today, as Ronaldo played like a man with a chip on his shoulder and gave a fitting reply to the critics. After pouncing on a loose ball in typical poacher fashion and finishing emphatically, Ronaldo then helped Real take the lead a second time with an absolutely marvellous cross, which was turned in by Varane after the initial shot by Benzema ricocheted into his path via the woodwork.
All-in-all, Ronaldo showed enough substance to prove his elite level once again.
#2 The midfield battle
Dortmund and Real both enjoyed an equal share of possession in this game, as expected by a team that has settled down to a more cultured attacking style under Thomas Tuchel relying on greater amounts of ball possession.
But while the Rhinesiders had the ball in the middle third, they failed to play through Real Madrid, as the Spanish club’s fast and strong defenders repelled most of their attacks, barring a few tame shots saved by Keylor Navas.
Real, on the other hand, kept creating chance after chance by playing on the counter. The first goal was the result of some elaborate buildup play that left Dortmund chasing shadows.
All-in-all, the Real midfield ran the tempo of the game and kept Dortmund at bay, while being unlucky in terms of the finishing of some chances. They were able to dominate the game even away from home, while Dortmund were largely restricted to moments conjured up by their attackers’ individual brilliance.
#3 Error-prone Real defence bailed out repeatedly by Varane
Barring the mistake that led to Dortmund’s first goal touched in by Aubameyang, Raphael Varane was a real standout for the Real defence. Marking, covering, positioning and tackling with great assurance, the Frenchman asserted himself on the speedy Dortmund attackers and was able to block out many attacks on his own.
However, Sergio Ramos, Danilo and Dani Carvajal were all guilty of small errors which could have led to disastrous results for Real. Carvajal’s misjudgement of the incoming cross allowed Schurrle space and time to shoot at goal and equalise for Dortmund.
Ramos picked up a yellow card of his own for a lazy tackle, while Danilo, playing in his less familiar position at left-back in place of Marcelo, was not the same player that he used to be on Real’s right.
#4 Navas’ eventful return from injury
Keylor Navas, nursing a long-term hamstring injury, made his return to the first team after an extended layoff that saw him miss all of Madrid’s fixtures this season. While the Costa Rican was his typical self when it came to reacting to shots on target, he was clearly not at his best on the day.
It was his misdirected punch that led to Dortmund’s first equaliser – Navas had the opportunity to punch the ball to his side, but he chose instead to punch it back into the danger zone, where it hit Varane on the face and rebounded into the far post before being turned in by Aubameyang.
He was good at collecting crosses, though, and it was a decent performance apart from this howler. With more games under his belt, expect Navas to be the same rock-solid goalkeeper as he proved to be last season.
#5 Dortmund’s game-changing substitutions
Emre Mor, Christian Pulisic and Andre Schurrle were brought on for Dortmund at various points in the second half, and the introduction of each of these players was important for Dortmund’s attack.
Following Real’s second goal, Dortmund slowed the game down in order to probe through the Real defence. This approach bore no fruit for a while, with Pulisic, Schurrle and Mor all managing shots, but they were not able to trouble Navas to a satisfying degree.
That changed at the fag end of regulation time as Schurrle set himself up at the far post during an attack from the opposite wing, and pounced on the rebound to score a memorable, sumptuous equaliser.
