[ad_1]
This time, Mats Hummels channeled his energy in the right direction.
The central defender, who continued to bang his fist furiously at the billboard after the 1: 2 bankruptcy at Union Berlin, redeemed Borussia Dortmund in the 2-0 (1-0) victory at Eintracht Braunschweig with an early lead and led his team. in the second round of the cup.
Dortmund’s substitute captain was there in the 12th minute when Jadon Sancho hit a free kick from the left. After Thomas Delaney missed the ball, it was Hummels who put the ball into the net from close range.
All Featured DFB-Pokal Videos in SPORT1 Media Library and SPORT1 App
In the end, BVB celebrated a well-deserved 2-0 win as Sancho followed up after a counterattack in injury time.
Hummels shows leadership qualities
In between, Borussia did their best, but lacked the joy of playing from previous days. But that day it didn’t matter how SPORT1-The expert Stefan Effenberg had already demanded before kick-off: “In the end, you have to work on football and not just play. The Dortmunders have to understand that.”
Dortmund got it, and Captain Hummels led the way.
The 32-year-old organized the defense, pushed his teammates, and was there too when the time came. Bottom line: Hummels demonstrated the leadership qualities he had demanded of the entire team after the Berlin bankruptcy.
Plus, Hummels showed exactly what Effenberg expected from the world champion after his tantrum. “You can see something was repressed there. At some point you have to let that out. But now you have to take it to the green and hold your teammates accountable.
Hummels has to come out at halftime
Hummels has long earned the status of secret captain, also because royal captain Marco Reus is currently more concerned with himself than helping the team. Thus, Reus, who could not give the team more impulses in recent weeks, sat on the bench until minute 63.
Hummels, on the other hand, kept going even when the going got tough, though he wasn’t immune to mistakes, either. “He is the main responsible, he is a leading player and that is why it is very important that the curve go up again,” Effenberg said.
That Hummels dragged himself into the short Christmas break with the last of his strength was shown at halftime when manager Edin Terzic pulled him out with muscle problems and sent Manuel Akanji onto the pitch.
“Ten games in 31 days will not leave us without a trace,” said Terzic SPORT1. “So he had to go halfway.”
Terzic: “We knew it would be difficult”
Without the leader, BVB’s victory was in jeopardy only once when Marcel Bär hit the ball off the crossbar in the 56th minute. Otherwise, the second division was harmless and made it comparatively easy for Terzic’s team to beat time. (DFB Cup results / schedule)
“We didn’t play the stars in the sky today,” Terzic admitted. “We knew it was going to be difficult. We could have had it a little easier. But the result is correct and we are taking it with us.” The tired Borussia now wants to take advantage of the short Christmas break to clear his head and regain strength.
Try DAZN for free and experience Bundesliga Friday and Monday matches live and on demand | DISPLAY
Not only is Favre’s successor happy that Corona’s difficult year is coming to an end. “It was a difficult year for everyone, but also for us footballers,” said Thomas Delaney. SPORT1.
Westphalians now have less than two weeks to recharge their batteries, then things move forward in rapid succession. It would be even more important if the reserve captain is back in shape on January 3 when Champions League competitor VfL Wolfsburg shows up in Dortmund.
