Dhe joy of the match winner was quickly gone. Only a few minutes after his two goals to 2-0 (0-0) over Arminia Bielefeld, Dortmund’s defense chief Mats Hummels limped off the pitch – accompanied by the worried look of his coach Lucien Favre. The injury to the 2014 world champion before the important Champions League games at FC Bruges on Wednesday and the league summit three days later against FC Bayern depressed the mood. “I hope to win the race against time by Wednesday,” commented Hummels on the way to the team bus.
The game was over for the 31-year-old four minutes before the final whistle. As he left the square, he grabbed his thigh. An initial examination by the team doctor while he was still in the cabin gave Hummels confidence: “My thigh has been tightened. But luckily I didn’t feel a sting, which is a good sign. You will have to work on it for a few days. “
“Mats has good healing meat”
How important the veteran is for the second in the table was shown in Bielefeld. Without Erling Haaland, who was spared due to slight knee problems, the oppressively superior Borussia besieged the opposing goal for a long time unsuccessfully – until the defender took over the role of the Norwegian scorer. In the 53rd minute he pushed a corner from Jadon Sancho with a bit of luck over the line, 18 minutes later he hit with a head after a cross from BVB captain Marco Reus. “He plays very, very well. He’s in top form, ”enthused soccer teacher Favre. National player Julian Brandt was in good spirits that there was no risk of a longer failure: “Mats has good healing meat.”
For Hummels, who scored in the derby win over Schalke (3-0) a week ago, it was the first Bundesliga appearance with two goals since January 2010 in Cologne. “We did a serious job. It was a very mature achievement, ”he commented on the patience of the hopeless climber.
Especially when it comes to defensive work, BVB, who is actually known for its offensive power, seems to be well on its way to adulthood. Five of the first six league games ended without conceding a goal. “It’s very good and much better than last year,” said midfielder Thomas Delaney. The improved stability gave everyone involved courage for the league classic on Saturday against the table leader from Munich with the same points.
In contrast, the Bielefeld team suffered their fourth defeat in a row and thus lost twice as many league games as in the entire previous promotion season. Nevertheless, given the great superiority of the opponent, the frustration was limited. “Borussia Dortmund is a top club in Europe, we noticed that especially in the second half. It is important that we stay positive. There will be games again in which we can score points, ”said midfielder Manuel Prietl, hoping for a turnaround in the coming game at Union Berlin.
.
