No German club has yet won in this so far very difficult round of 16 of the current Champions League season, but after defeats by FC Bayern and RB Leipzig, BVB at least managed a draw at PSV Eindhoven. After a goal from Donyell Malen and an equalizer from a controversial penalty by Luuk de Jong, Borussia Dortmund brought a 1-1 result from the short trip to the Netherlands. The chances of reaching the quarter-finals in the second leg are good, even if BVB is far from playing like one of the best teams in Europe.
This is not the only reason why PSV Eindhoven will remain a dangerous opponent; This evening the intensity was high from the start on all levels. The audience was loud and committed to unconditional support, buoyed by sweet memories. The winning of the European Cup in 1988 was commemorated with a choreography spread across all the stands. The club is now back in the knockout rounds of the Champions League for the first time since 2016. Coach Peter Bosz’s team was correspondingly committed. But Dortmund also initially invested a lot after sporting director Sebastian Kehl accused the players of acting “arrogantly” following the 1-1 draw in Wolfsburg at the weekend.
Things were a little better in Eindhoven, but this problem doesn’t seem to have been completely solved yet in everyone’s minds. A very arrogant dribbling by Ian Maatsen in his own half gave the Dutch their first big chance. But the shot by Malik Tilman, on loan from FC Bayern Munich, was defused by Nico Schlotterbeck (14th). Shortly afterwards, Tilmann had an even better opportunity, but his shot was too imprecise (16′). This time Maatsen made a positioning error. The loanee from Chelsea could have become a tragic hero early on.
Hummels: “Zero percent penalties, zero!”
Maybe he had too many thoughts in his head, as the young left-back has a past with PSV. He was trained there for several years before moving to England as a youth player. Now he made a number of mistakes that were not seen during his strong performances in the Bundesliga. Maatsen would like to establish himself in the Dutch European Championship team.
In any case, the performances of both Dutchmen at Borussia Dortmund provided the material for one of those special stories that this sport so often writes. Because after Maatsen’s mistakes, Donyell Malen scored somewhat surprisingly to make it 0-1 (24th). The 25-year-old winger not only trained in Eindhoven, he also played in the first team for several years until he moved to BVB for 30 million euros in 2021.
Since the end of the winter break, Malen has been one of Dortmund’s best. Now he underlined his good form with an individual action on the edge of the penalty area, which he crowned with a strong shot into the short corner of the goal. But overall, BVB was by no means the better team. In several phases they felt the full force of PSV, which is at the top of the Eredivisie with a goal difference of 70:10.
Stepped in for Gregor Kobel: Dortmund’s substitute goalkeeper Alexander Meyer: Image: AP
Alexander Meyer was in goal for BVB because Gregor Kobel sustained a muscle injury during the warm-up. In addition, Mats Hummels, who had been weakened by a severe case of flu in recent weeks, was back in the team, while Niklas Süle was unavailable for a short time due to illness. And Hummels then became a key player in the creation of the equalizer. The head of defense not only hit the ball during a tackle in the penalty area, but then also lightly hit Tillman’s leg with his left leg. Luuk de Jong took advantage of the penalty to make it 1-1 (56th).
“Zero percent penalties, zero!” said Hummels angrily afterwards on Prime Video. “I don’t understand the referees at the moment.” The professional could hardly be stopped and vigorously contradicted TV referee expert Wolfgang Stark, who considered the penalty to be justifiable, several times. Nico Schlotterbeck said: “He hits the ball. It doesn’t slip over his slipper, it slides into him. For me it’s not one, but I’m a defender. Nothing against the referee, he made that decision.”
Christian Otto, Wolfsburg Published/Updated: Recommendations: 4 A comment from Christoph Becker Published/Updated: Recommendations: 23 Daniel Theweleit, Bochum Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3
After the penalty there was reason to worry that these Dortmund players, who have always been very unstable this season, would collapse in the charged atmosphere, but somehow they remained fairly stable. Also because Julian Brandt came into the game for the weak Reus and later Marius Wolf (instead of the faulty Sancho) supplied the team with new energy. There were still a few goals for Eindhoven, but hardly any great chances. At the same time, BVB also got relief and somehow saved the draw over time.
The Champions League is obviously better for Dortmund this season. BVB was eliminated from the cup and things are bumping and bumping in the Bundesliga. Although Dortmund have not lost a game there in 2024, their performances have not always been convincing. The everyday heaviness of national competitions does not weigh on the European stage. BVB has been unbeaten in ten games across all competitions, so there are good reasons to be optimistic about the second leg, even if Schlotterbeck will be missing due to a yellow card suspension.