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Dortmund 2-4 Schalke: Report, Ratings & Reaction as 9-Man BVB Waste Title Chances in Revierderby

Borussia Dortmund failed to return to the top of the Bundesliga table after suffering a 4-2 defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals Schalke 04 in a thrilling

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Dortmund 2-4 Schalke: Report, Ratings & Reaction as 9-Man BVB Waste Title Chances in Revierderby
Dortmund 2-4 Schalke: Report, Ratings & Reaction as 9-Man BVB Waste Title Chances in Revierderby /

Borussia Dortmund failed to return to the top of the Bundesliga table after suffering a 4-2 defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals Schalke 04 in a thrilling Revierderby on Saturday.

It didn't take long for the hosts to take the lead and it came through a moment of genius from Jadon Sancho, who lifted the ball over the defence from the edge of the penalty area for an onrushing Mario Götze to find the back of the net.

But the Video Assistant Referee gave Schalke a route back into the match, helping to overturn a decision which eventually saw the visitors awarded a penalty following a handball from Julian Weigl.

Daniel Caligiuri sent Roman Bürki the wrong way from 12 yards to help Huub Stevens' side back into the game, and Schalke then took the lead when Salif Sané was left unchallenged to score from a corner.

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Stuart Franklin/GettyImages

Things went from bad to worse for Borussia Dortmund shortly after the break as Marco Reus was shown a straight red card for a late tackle on Suat Serdar, and Caligiuri added insult to injury by sending the resulting free-kick into the top corner of Bürki's net.

Lucien Favre's side were then reduced to nine men minutes later when Marius Wolf produced a carbon copy of Reus' tackle, with Schalke's Serdar once again the recipient of a late and unnecessary challenge.

Axel Witsel was able to pull one back for Borussia Dormtund in the last few minutes of the match, but Schalke hit back straight away to silence the home crowd and secure the points thanks to Breel Embolo's powerful drive from the edge of the box.

Borussia Dortmund


Key Talking Point

The Black and Yellows do have a reputation for hitting the self destruct button at the worst possible time, but even by their quite high standards, Saturday's implosion against Schalke was one of their worst yet.

Things started perfectly when Borussia Dortmund took the lead through Mario Götze, but they allowed the Royal Blues to get back into the game too easily and went into half-time trailing.

Any hope of a comeback was then wiped away within the space of five second half minutes when Marco Reus and Marius Wolf were both sent off either side of Daniel Caligiuri's outstanding free-kick.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Bürki (6), Wolf (2), Weigl (4), Akanji (6), Diallo (7); Witsel (7), Delaney (5), Reus (2); Sancho (8), Guerreiro (5), Götze (7).

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Martin Rose/GettyImages

Substitutes: Alcacer (6), Pulisic (6), Bruun Larsen (N/A).

STAR MAN - 19-year-old Sancho was once again at the centre of Borussia Dortmund's attacking play during the Revierderby, demanding the ball before running at the defenders and bamboozling a few of his opponents along the way.

But it was the teenager's assist early in the match which set him apart as Dortmund's marquee player once again, chipping an unbelievable pass straight into the path of Mario Götze to break the deadlock.


Sancho was helpless to stop Borussia Dortmund imploding in on themselves in the second half, but the England international hardly put a foot wrong in the derby.

Schalke 04


Key Talking Point

It's been a season to forget for Schalke, but form goes out the window when it comes to the Revierderby and the Royal Blues showed once again why they can be a force to be reckoned with in the Bundesliga.

It wasn't a vintage performance, but Huub Stevens' side had just enough in each area of the pitch to offer Borussia Dortmund a real game where the Black and Yellows had to work hard to try and get something out of the match.

At the end of the day, Schalke ended up being handed all three points on a plate when Reus and Wolf were sent for an early bath in quick succession, but it's a result which has effectively confirmed they will avoid relegation, so thoughts can now look to their much-needed rebuild in the summer.

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Martin Rose/GettyImages

Perhaps even more importantly for Schalke fans, it's a result which has put Bayern Munich in the driving seat for the Bundesliga title, ensuring that their rivals in Dortmund will likely have to go another year without silverware.

Player Ratings

Starting XI: Nübel (7), Nastasić (7), Stambouli (6), Sané (8); Caligiuri (9), McKennie (6), Mascarell (7), Oczipka (6), Serdar (7); Embolo (7), Burgstaller (7).

Substitutes: Rudy (6), Bruma (N/A), Matondo (N/A).

STAR MAN - Schalke's veteran full back Daniel Caligiuri doesn't always get the credit he deserves as a vital part of their current squad, but at both ends of the pitch the Italian showed off exactly why he's one of the best players in the Bundesliga.

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The 31-year-old was solid in defence - only being nutmegged by Jadon Sancho once, which is impressive in its own right - but it was Caligiuri's work going forward that again was vital for the Royal Blues.

His calm first-half penalty helped claw Schalke back into the game, but he saved the best for last by sending a 30-yard free-kick into the top corner with what proved to be the winning goal.

Looking Ahead


Borussia Dortmund will be looking to keep their title hopes alive next week against tough opponents in SV Werder Bremen, while Schalke 04 can steer clear of the relegation zone for good in their match at home to FC Augsburg.

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