Thorgan Hazard’s wondergoal wasn’t enough as Borussia Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Augsburg.
The Bundesliga title race could be well and truly over as Borussia Dortmund succumbed to a 1-1 draw with FC Augsburg on Sunday. The result helps Bayern Munich extend their lead at the top of the table to eight points, thanks to their narrow victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Coming on the back of an embarrassing exit from the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Rangers, it was always going to be a difficult outing for Borussia Dortmund, especially after the fresh injuries to Thomas Meunier and captain Marco Reus. With a largely second fiddle lineup, the game predictably turned out to be quite cagey, with both teams failing to offer any spark going forward.
Yet, Dortmund managed to secure the opener in the first half, thanks to Thorgan Hazard’s solo run and effort on goal. But Augsburg upped the ante after the restart, utilising their opposition’s lack of pace and conviction to probe the defence time and again. They were ultimately rewarded in the 78th minute when substitute Noah Sarenren Bazee was on hand to find the equaliser.
Even with the scores once again level, the visitors showed no real conviction and didn’t have any real quality to turn the game back into their favour, as the two sides ultimately settled for a draw. And here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the Borussia Dortmund players in their disappointing result against FC Augsburg this weekend.
Gregor Kobel: 6.5/10
Gregor Kobel didn’t have too much to do as Augsburg were largely ineffective going forward. He looked a bit more shaky than usual, especially when it came to distributing possession. He couldn’t have done anything to deny the equaliser late in the game.
Emre Can: 5.5/10
Acting as the right-sided centre-back of a back three, Emre Can had a poor game in defence. His decision-making was poor and he often let his impulses get the better of him. Was poor in the lead-up to the equaliser as he wasn’t able to stop the cross from going into the six-yard area.
I’m sorry, there’s just no way Pongracic wouldn’t make a better CB than Can
— Fear the Wall (@FearTheWall) January 8, 2022
Mats Hummels: 6/10
Mats Hummels defended rather well for a majority of the game. He read the game superbly to keep the lid on Ricardo Pepi and Ruben Vargas. However, the veteran was ultimately exposed during the final phase of the game, when he misjudged the intentions of Iago.
Marin Pongracic: 6/10
Marin Pongracic had a mixed game, to say the least. He looked quite slow whenever he was on the ball but was rather solid defensively. There is a spark in his game that is often missing and it was the same case on this occasion. Not to mention, the Croat was caught ball-watching and didn’t clear the ball well in the lead-up to the equaliser.
Raphael Guerreiro: 6/10
It was an ineffective outing from Raphael Guerreiro, who was coming on the back of a minor knock that ruled him out of action against Rangers in midweek. The left-back wasn’t able to offer too much creativity out wide and lacked the usual understanding with the attackers in the absence of Marco Reus.
Axel Witsel: 6/10
Axel Witsel was brought in to offer more stability in the middle of the park. The Belgian didn’t make any grave error, but his lack of pace, enthusiasm and directness were often detrimental to Dortmund’s progress going forward.
The season is officially over. Players that should get 0 minutes in the remaning games and leave in the summer:
Brandt
Reinier
Witsel
Meunier
Schulz
Play the top U19 players and get something of worth in the remainder of the season.— Viktor (@vcaazze) February 27, 2022
Mahmoud Dahoud: 6/10
It was an indifferent performance from Mahmoud Dahoud. He wasn’t able to make the telling difference with his passing and lacked the precision in most of his forward balls. The midfielder’s influence in Dortmund’s build-up play is starting to dwindle once again after a bright start to 2022.
Jude Bellingham: 6/10
Jude Bellingham had a somewhat mixed evening. He showed no signs of lethargy that was synonymous with a majority of his teammates. But he was quite ineffective with his forays into the final third. One would say the youngster was lacking the presence of a more reliable creative partner in the absence of Marco Reus.
Thorgan Hazard: 6.5/10
Thorgan Hazard didn’t offer much to the Dortmund attack until he did, producing a dream run that saw him beat three players before finding the back of the net. It was the only highlight in what was yet another ineffective outing for the Belgian. It won’t be surprising to see him depart Dortmund next summer.
This angle of Hazard's goal >> pic.twitter.com/Vo0V6j8Fib
— aritra roy (@aritrabvb1909) February 27, 2022
Julian Brandt: 5/10
Julian Brandt produced yet another frustrating performance. He lacked precision with his passes in the final third and lost possession way too often. The playmaker has already lost the trust of the Dortmund fans, and it won’t be long before he loses the trust of coach Marco Rose as well.
Donyell Malen: 6.5/10
Donyell Malen was arguably the most impressive Dortmund attacker on the night. Unlike his teammates, the Dutchman wasn’t too keen on playing his way into the final third and was content with a rather direct approach that saw him trouble Rafal Gikiewicz on a couple of occasions. Malen failed to find the back of the net, but he certainly has the potential to become an effective attacking outlet for BVB.
Substitutes
Youssoufa Moukoko: 6/10
Youssoufa Moukoko should have started the game ahead of Brandt. When he did get the chance, the youngster looked very selfish and tried to do everything by himself. Given his lack of game-time, it will be difficult to blame the player.
Look at this formation. If that's the case, Moukoko could've easily started ahead of Brandt and honestly it's horrible. pic.twitter.com/16Wrg3owt4
— aritra roy (@aritrabvb1909) February 27, 2022
Marius Wolf: N/A
Marius Wolf had no impact on the game whatsoever and simply lacks the quality to play at this level.
Reinier: N/A
A late replacement for Dahoud. Didn’t play enough to warrant a rating.
