Player Ratings from Dortmund’s 5-0 Pokal Victory over Magdeburg
Here is how Borussia Dortmund’s players rated in their sound defeat of third division Magdeburg:
Burki – 6
The keeper was rarely called on in this match and almost made a huge blunder early when a low shot almost looked as if it would spill from his arms and through his legs. Despite that, Burki was solid and on occasion made a few proactive tackles outside the eighteen to snuff out Magdeburg attacks.
Bartra – 7
The Spanish international slid out to the right in the match and overlapped well with Yarmolenko as well as the other BVB players who moved to the right side. He defended well and his goal was a thing of beauty.
Sokratis – 7
Despite some shaky early play, the Greek defender was solid. He did an excellent job anticipating passes in the defensive end and preventing shots on his keeper. His late yellow was dumb and somewhat lazy, but with Zagadou kept a good high line for most of this match.
Zagadou – 7
Despite being hindered by a questionable yellow card, Zagadou paired well with Sokratis in central defence. Again, he anticipated player movements well and despite a dubious first twenty minutes, performed well in the second-half to not even allow Magdeburg a thought of cutting the deficit.
Schmelzer – 6.5
The captain deserves a high rating for playing well despite undoubtedly facing serious emotions on his return home, as well as his continued return from injury. A little quieter on the pitch than Bartra on the other side, his form portends well for other matches in the near future.
Sahin – 6
Sahin was docked points for his role in the disjointed first-half, where the midfield overall did not perform well. Despite this, he showed much improvement as the match went on. It was almost him, not Yarmolenko, that settled the match with a stinging shot that Alexander Brunst was able to save midway through the second-half.
Kagawa – 7
The fifth goal was the icing on the cake for the Japanese international. He was a threat in the attack all night although he wasted a few good opportunities throughout the match.
Dahoud – 5
It is hard to score a player who came into this match ill and who left early with dizziness after a blow to the back of his head, but his departure saw an immediate improvement in the midfield’s play.
Yarmolenko – 7
It was a mixed bag for the Ukrainian international that overall has to be seen as a positive. The club relied on him in Aubameyang’s absence to be the veteran presence in the attack. He had a few chances on goal go wide that shouldn’t have, and his goal was a penalty that could have been saved. Despite this, he played a major role in creating the first two goals and out wide was a menace to the Magdeburg defence.
Philipp – 7
Same as Yarmolenko. He was counted upon in this match to create scoring opportunities, and for the most part, he did. His miss early on was a thing of beauty, which only would have been more beautiful had it gone in.
Isak – 8
Truly the Man of the Match in this one. In addition to the goal and assist, his movement and vision made him a constant threat to the defence whenever he had possession. He will undoubtedly struggle against the Bundesliga’s larger centre-backs, but Isak showed in this match that he can contribute to the senior side despite his young age and inexperience with the club.
Substitutes
Castro – 7
Less than one minute on the pitch and he breaks the match open for the visitors. His goal seemed to lift a weight off his team, and the midfield play was immensely better with him active in it. Great substitution by Bosz and excellent taking advantage of an opportunity by the player.
Guerreiro – 6
The Portuguese international earns a good rating simply by playing well in the midfield and showing no ill effects from his injury. He entered as the match had swung definitively to BVB and he did not have a negative effect on the result.
Schurrle – 6
Usually, a player coming on so late does not merit a rating, but the German international moved well and looked active, good signs after an injury in his leg.
