BVB wins the 181st Revierderby – Akanji comes out of quarantine and becomes a sports hero

Start 55 minutes and find the gap. That was the reality for Borussia Dortmund in Revierderby 181 at home against Schalke 04. And then, of all things, Nati Manuel Akanji’s central defender gave BVB the lead with his only second Bundesliga goal. The 25-year-old had just returned from his crown quarantine and was back in the starting lineup. Dortmund’s lead after a variant corner kick through Julian Brandt, Raphaël Guerreiro and Akanji was well deserved.

Dortmund dominant but not efficient

Over 70% possession and a 90% pass rate spoke clear language for Dortmund in the first half. Until the lead, BVB had to put up with the accusation that they could hardly find solutions against the short and shaky Schalke players. The home team was dominant and had some pressure phases, but apart from an attempt by Thomas Meunier (15th minute) and a long-range shot from Mahmoud Dahoud (30th minute), they were hardly dangerous in front of Schalke goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow.

Haaland and Hummels put the lid on

However, after the lead, Dortmund was able to play noticeably freer and now got more space. Roman Bürki in the BVB box had a quiet evening. And so, the local team increased with Erling Haaland (minute 61) and Mats Hummels (minute 78) to 3-0.

For Borussia Dortmund it was the 63rd win in the prestigious Revierderby against FC Schalke 04, who are expecting a Bundesliga win since January 2020.