Borussia Dortmund’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League dissipate as the Black and Yellows slump to a 2-1 defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Borussia Dortmund lose valuable ground in the race for the Champions League places, slumping to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt. The loss helps the Eagles extend their lead to a whopping seven points, an ideal reward for an excellent performance that saw them contain the likes of Marco Reus, Erling Haaland and Thorgan Hazard.

Although Frankfurt were helped by a poor own goal from Nico Schulz in the 11th minute, Adi Hutter’s men were smart to employ a clever defensive strategy even though they didn’t completely sit back. Instead, the away side tried to make use of Dortmund’s spaces out wide to provide a threat on the counter, with Filip Kostic becoming the focal point of the attack.

The Black and Yellows did find an equaliser late in the first half, but Eintracht’s marvellous work-ethic saw them remain resilient at the back until the very end. They were ultimately rewarded with a goal in the 87th minute as a quick counter-attack led to the winning goal from Andre Silva whose thumping header cancelled out Mats Hummels’ equaliser from a corner in the 44th minute.

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Die Adler did have some nervy moments late in the game but some heroic defending from the likes of Djibril Sow and Stefan Ilsanker was enough to hand them a valuable victory at the Signal Iduna Park. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will take a closer look at how the Borussia Dortmund players performed in their disappointing defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend.

Marwin Hitz: 5/10

Marwin Hitz was caught by surprise as Schulz’s header found the far post, almost in a perfect manner that made it difficult for the Borussia Dortmund ‘keeper to reach and save it. He was also beaten late in the game, having absolutely no answer against Silva’s thumping header in the 87th minute.

Emre Can: 6.5/10

Operating in a three-man backline, Emre Can played his natural high risk-high reward game, often marauding forward in possession. The former Liverpool midfielder looked promising at times but the execution of his passes in the final third was poor, to say the least. Had some nervy moments in defence.

Manuel Akanji: 6/10

Manuel Akanji looked confident in his tackles for the most part of the game, offering a decent amount of resistance against the likes of Luka Jovic and Silva. However, the Swiss international was completely beaten for pace by Jovic in the late counter-attack that originated Frankfurt’s winner.

Mats Hummels: 7.5/10

Mats Hummels had some awful defensive moments scattered throughout the ninety minutes, including poor misjudgement of the flight of the ball from set-pieces. The experienced centre-back, though, looked excellent for the most part, motivating his troops from the back while also scoring a vital equaliser just before half-time, although his team couldn’t really capitalise.

Thorgan Hazard: 4/10

With Jadon Sancho absent, Thorgan Hazard was always going to play a key role for Borussia Dortmund out wide. The Belgian international, though, was hugely underwhelming, to say the least. Aside from a few good moments going forward, he lacked ideas in the final third and had problems penetrating the lines, eventually making way for Ansgar Knauff around the hour mark.

Thomas Delaney: 6/10

Thomas Delaney started the game well, making some excellent tackles in midfield as well as orchestrating the game with some nice passes. His influence on the proceedings eventually waned as Dortmund started getting frustrated in possession. Delaney himself didn’t do much wrong though.

Jude Bellingham: 6.5/10

Jude Bellingham had a mixed game against Frankfurt, starting the game really poorly before eventually improving during the final phase of the first half. His energy, aggression and determination were valued assets for Dortmund in midfield, but he was surprisingly taken off by Edin Terzic around the hour mark.

Nico Schulz: 3/10

Nico Schulz was culpable for a disastrous own goal that helped Eintracht Frankfurt create an ideal platform to win this game. Aside from the goal, the left-back also offered very little in possession, with most of his crosses failing to find the target. He is certainly not quality enough to be playing for Borussia Dortmund in high-stake encounters like these.

Marco Reus: 6.5/10

Marco Reus was surprisingly given the start despite the fact that Dortmund play Manchester City on Tuesday. The German couldn’t offer much going forward, though, although his work-ethic was still excellent. He most notably produced the cross that led to the equaliser late in the first half.

Raphael Guerreiro: 7/10

Raphael Guerreiro was unconventionally deployed in an attacking midfield role, a move that did not really pay off for Terzic. While the Portuguese international was one of Dortmund’s best chance creators, he would have been better suited in the wing-back role ahead of Schulz. It will be interesting to see how he operates in the upcoming game against Man City.

Erling Haaland: 5/10

It was a bad day at the office for Erling Haaland, who was kept at arm’s length by the likes of Tuta and Ilsanker. Indeed, the Norwegian often cut a frustrating figure as he was barely involved in the game while also lacking sharpness in front of goal.

Might turn out to become a completely different player in the Champions League, though, and his record itself should be a warning sign for Manchester City.

Substitutes

Mahmoud Dahoud: 4/10

Mahmoud Dahoud was introduced around the hour mark to add more creative essence in the middle of the park. Unfortunately, the move backfired for Terzic as the midfielder offered nothing and instead, lost the possession that led to the late Frankfurt counter-attack and thereby the winner from Silva.

Ansgar Knauff: 6/10

Ansgar Knauff was brought on for Hazard around the hour mark, to add some pace and energy on the far side of the Dortmund attack. The youngster, unfortunately, couldn’t influence the game much.

Giovanni Reyna: N/A

A late replacement for Reus. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

Reinier: N/A

A late replacement for Schulz. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.

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