Borussia Monchengladbach 0-1 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund are back in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals as Jadon Sancho’s second-half strike was enough to overcome future BVB boss Marco Rose’s Borussia Monchengladbach 1-0.
This is the first time Dortmund have reached the last four of the DFB-Pokal since they last won the tournament in 2017.
Dortmund improved to four wins out of four games since the announcement that Rose would take over as their new head coach next season. Meanwhile, Rose’s Gladbach have lost all four of their matches following the news as the Foals’ season has quickly fallen apart.
Highlights of the game
Borussia Monchengladbach made a bright start to the quarter-final tie as they very nearly took the lead just two minutes in. After winning the ball with their press, Jonas Hofmann sent in a great cross toward Marcus Thuram, who was unable to direct the ball on target.
Dortmund had a great chance themselves on nine minutes. A header fell invitingly for Marco Reus, who was unmarked inside the box. But the Dortmund skipper got his volley all wrong and skied it well over the bar.
Erling Haaland was kept quiet for the first half-hour of the match, but he finally got free for a one-on-one with Gladbach keeper Tobias Sippel on 35 minutes. Surprisingly, though, the Dortmund star missed the target.
Gladbach thought they would head into the break with a 1-0 lead as Thuram slotted past Marwin Hitz in first-half stoppage time. But the goal was quickly waved off for offside.
Dortmund would have their turn to put the ball in the net just eight minutes into the second half. Reus cut the ball back to Haaland, who smashed the ball in. Once again, though, the goal was ruled out after a lengthy review which found Haaland guilty of committing a foul in the build-up to the goal.
Just moments after that big call, Gladbach had another great chance to take the lead as Ramy Bensebaini’s powerful shot was parried away by Hitz.
But after two disallowed goals, the third time would be the charm for Dortmund, who finally got a goal that counted on 66 minutes. Dortmund went on a lightning-quick counterattack off a Gladbach corner and brilliantly worked the ball over to Sancho, who kept his cool and slid the ball past Sippel.
Dortmund could have doubled their lead through Haaland, who broke free on another counterattack, but Sippel did well to deny the big Norwegian. And on the ensuing corner, Mats Hummels almost swept the ball in after Gladbach failed to clear.
Gladbach’s best chance to equalise came on 88 minutes, but Denis Zakaria’s curling shot from distance couldn’t find the top corner.
Dortmund would have a nervy last few minutes as they went down to 10 men in stoppage time. Midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud was sent off for a second yellow card after he elbowed a Gladbach defender who was trying to stop another BVB counterattack.
But despite the man disadvantage, Dortmund did just about enough to hold off Gladbach and reach the DFB-Pokal semi-finals.
Key statistics
Neither Borussia quite had their shooting boots on in this match. Gladbach had 16 total shots, but just five were on target. Dortmund were even worse, with just two of their 13 shots on target. But the visitors proved slightly more clinical in front of goal, which was just enough.
Sancho had a quiet game on the whole, yet he came up with the crucial contribution to add to his DFB-Pokal 2021 highlights. The English superstar has now scored in all four rounds of this year’s competition. Moreover, he has six goals and five assists in his last nine games in all competitions.
Sancho, who had an assist in their first league meeting against Gladbach and two in their second, has now been involved in four of Dortmund’s six goals against the Foals this season.
What’s next?
With Bayern Munich out, the DFB-Pokal 2021 odds should have Borussia Dortmund as favourites to win the tournament along with the winner of the RB Leipzig-Wolfsburg quarter-final. The semi-finals are scheduled for May 1-2.
In the meantime, Dortmund have two more huge games that could define their season. Next up for them in the league is Der Klassiker with Bayern Munich this weekend. Stay tuned for SBOTOP’s preview of that massive matchup. And next week, it’s their Champions League round-of-16 second leg against Sevilla, where they hold a 3-2 lead thanks to Haaland’s first-leg brace.
As for Gladbach, they will look to end their six-match winless run when they take on Bayer Leverkusen, who have also failed to win in their last five.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
