VAR Stirs A Storm And Other Talking Points From Borussia Dortmund 5-0 FC Köln

Borussia Dortmund outclassed FC Köln 5-0 at home to retain their position on top of the table. Braces from Maximillian Philipp and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a goal from Sokratis helped Peter Bosz’s side win all three points.

The home side began the match at lightning speed, scoring their first goal with barely a minute on the clock. Maximillian Philipp scored his first goal for his new club with a bullet header. The contest at the Signal Iduna Park was totally one-sided, with the home team dominating both possession as well as chances. However, the Black and Yellow had to wait for a long time for their second goal. Sokratis scored a goal in the added time of first half, but the goal was highly controversial as the referee judged him to have pushed Timo Horn before poking the ball into the net after the keeper dropped it. However, the Virtual Assistant Referee overruled it, awarding a goal to Bosz’s side.
Dortmund’s talisman Aubameyang scored two goals in quick succession at the hour mark, with the first goal coming from the spot after Yarmolenko’s cross won his side a penalty. Philipp then added his second goal of the night as he capped off a thumping win for the home side, who are now one of the only two teams unbeaten in the Bundesliga this season.

With this win, Borussia Dortmund stay on top of the league after four match-days, leading Hannover with goal difference.

Here are the major Talking Points from the match-

Five Star Dortmund

FC Köln are not as bad as the scoreline showed tonight. Sure, they’ve struggled in the league and haven’t opened their points account even after four matches, but they’re a well-drilled Peter Stöger side who are going through a rough patch right now. The visitors even looked likely to upset Arsenal in the Europa League, having taken the lead in the beginning and looking dangerous on counters. And getting a win against an underrated team can sometimes be tricky. Which is why this Dortmund performance is worthy of a lot of praise. They scored goals for fun, and this performance is surely a boost after that 3-0 defeat at Tottenham’s hands just four days back.

Bosz got it right today

After that 3-0 defeat to Tottenham in the midweek, Bosz was slated by pundits who claimed that Bosz’s tactics were the reason for the embarrassing defeat. So this time Bosz sprung no chances in the line-up and stuck to what his team is best at- making opponents vulnerable through the wings with a direct approach. The five goals were a bit flattering, but the three points were well deserved for a side that doesn’t even have many important players available.

Weigl Returns, More to Follow Suit

The game marked the return of young midfielder star Julian Weigl from injury. He lacked a bit of sharpness and got the necessary minutes under his belt. And as a further boost, fans would be delighted to know that Toljan, Gotze, Bartra, and Schurrle will be back in the next few days, and will be a timely boost in a busy schedule for the next few weeks.

VAR Spoils the Day

Sokratis’ goal in the stoppage time of first half wasn’t given by the referee, who adjudged him to have pushed Timo Horn before poking the ball into the net when the keeper dropped it. However, VAR controversially overruled it and awarded the goal to the home side, much to the annoyance of the visitors. However, things could take an interesting turn as the Köln chief has stated that they’ll appeal to the league federation for a replay. Dortmund chief has squashed such talks, but considering the fact that it wasn’t a completely justified call, a replay isn’t totally out of question.