Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Newcastle United (7 Nov, 2023) Game Analysis،
A dominant Borussia Dortmund scored once in each half to beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday and put themselves in a good position in Group F with two matches remaining.
Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug scored from close range in the 26th minute for his first goal in the competition and Julian Brandt added another on the break in the 79th to kill off the game and dent Newcastle’s chances of finishing among the first two.
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The result moved Dortmund, who beat the Premier League club in both of their group matches, into first place by seven points. Newcastle have four.
“It was very deserved with a superb team performance,” said Dortmund coach Edin Terzic. “We owe the fans something since Saturday.
“We beat Newcastle twice and kept a clean sheet twice. Seven points are not enough. It was a good step but more must follow.”
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said his side must win the remaining matches to have any chance of progressing.
“We have to try to win our last two games [in Paris and at home to Milan]”, Howe said. “We weren’t far away tonight, that’s the takeaway. At our best, even with the number of players out, we are good enough to win here.]”
The hosts were brimming with confidence from the start, showing no effect from Saturday’s 4-0 home defeat to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich.
They remained in control throughout the match, with the game briefly interrupted in the second half by fans throwing fake gold bars onto the pitch to protest reforms to the competition planned by European governing body the UEFA.
Dortmund’s early pressure paid off when Fullkrug combined well with Marcel Sabitzer and fired the left-footed ball into the roof of the Newcastle goal to give them a deserved lead.
They moved within another goal with a lightning-fast break while a Sabitzer shot flew over the bar a little later.
Newcastle, the first team to start eight English players in a Champions League match since Manchester United against FC Kosice in 1997, were missing key players due to injuries, including Sven Botman, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes and Elliot Anderson.
But they fought back after the break, with the introduction of Anthony Gordon and Miguel Almirón adding pace to their game.
Joelinton missed his biggest chance in the 56th minute when his header from Tino Livramento’s precise cross went wide.
Livramento’s performance was one of the few highlights for Howe’s side, with the 20-year-old making an outstanding competitive debut.
Dortmund put the match to bed in the 79th when Karim Adeyemi found Brandt on the break and the German midfielder scored his second goal.
