Borussia Dortmund defeated Newcastle United 2-0 at the Westfalenstadion to top Group F of the UEFA Champions League
Niclas Fullkrug scored in the first half and Julian Brandt scored late to give the hosts a score line that reflected their dominance of the game, with Dortmund attempting 17 of the game’s 26 shots and forcing six saves from Nick Pope in a fine comeback from a Der Klassiker humiliation at the weekend.
Dortmund won 1-0 at St James’ Park two weeks ago and currently leads the group with seven points and a +1 goal difference after Paris Saint-Germain (six points, +1 goal differential) was defeated by AC Milan (five points, -2 goal differential).
Newcastle has four points, good for third place in the group, and may drop to last if Milan beats PSG at the San Siro. The Magpies go to PSG on November 28 and end the group stage at home against Milan on December 13.
Beating Borussia Dortmund on a Champions League night at the Westfalenstadion isn’t for everyone; BVB drew Milan in this year’s group stage and was undefeated at home last season against Copenhagen, Manchester City, and Sevilla. Only Ajax has defeated Dortmund at home in group stage action in the previous six group rounds.
So how can an injury-plagued Newcastle overcome Arsenal and load up for the Yellow Wall with 31-year-old Callum Wilson as their only centre forward while Sven Botman, Sandro Tonali, Dan Burn, Alexander Isak, Elliot Anderson, Matt Targett, and Harvey Barnes all miss out?
It may be that simple at times. Aside from a good Joelinton opportunity, it never looked like anything but a BVB victory.
Next up: a journey to Paris, followed by a visit to St James’ Park via Milan.
The Toon must put in a lot of effort if they are to get to the knockout round; Europa League participation is also far from inevitable. But, after all, they did beat PSG 4-1 at home, so nobody is given up just yet.
