Borussia Dortmund scraped a 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin on Saturday. The win leaves Dortmund seven points behind league leaders Bayern Munich with just four games remaining.
However, Dortmund’s performance, rather than the result, highlighted some areas Lucien Favre will be concerned about moving forward with his young side.
Plenty to Learn for Borussia Dortmund Despite Beating Hertha Berlin
Missed Opportunities
Favre’s side dominated the match against Hertha, who came into the match without a loss in six games.
Despite 64% possession and 13 shots on goal, only Emre Can’s well-taken strike from the edge of the area early in the second half proved to be the difference.
During the game, Achraf Hakimi’s miss from five yards out after breaking into the box from the right-wing on seven minutes signified the wasteful afternoon ahead for Dortmund.
Thorgan Hazard was the next culprit after 20 minutes. The Belgian forward controlled a cross from Raphael Guerreiro but smashed wide from six yards despite having plenty of time to finish off.
Jadon Sancho also squandered two clear cut chances. The first came when Hazard squared the ball to the English forward five-yards out with the goal at his mercy, but his first-time shot went wide of the post.
Sancho then missed a late one on one with Hertha goalkeeper Rune Jarstein, hitting the ball straight at the stopper with minutes left in the game.
It’s the kind of finishing that could have cost Dortmund two points and could have left them with one point instead of three.
Openness in Defence
The poor finishing almost cost Dortmund all three points on Saturday. Just before Can opened the scoring after 58 minutes, Hertha broke straight through the heart of Dortmund’s defence with some direct passing.
Alexander Esswein’s shot went just past the post, but it was a big let-off for Farve’s side and could have been decisive.
The story could have been different as it was against Bayern Munich two weeks ago. Dortmund had chances throughout this decisive match, but a moment of quality from Joshua Kimmich provided enough for Munich to gain all three points.
With five losses this season, Favre will need to find a way to tighten up Dortmund, who will want to provide a greater challenge for the Bundesliga title next season.
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