Guirassy at the double as Dortmund dismantle 10-man Villarreal

BVB returned to winning ways in Europe courtesy of strikes from Karim Adeyemi, Daniel Svensson and a Serhou Guirassy brace.

The Westfalenstadion sparkled with a fraction more yellow in the stands this evening as Villarreal CF travelled to face Borussia Dortmund. Niko Kovač’s side looked somewhat blunt at times in attack, but Juan Foyth’s dismissal paved the way for the hosts to run out comfortable 4-0 winners. 

Dortmund were full of intent early doors as a long ball found Daniel Svensson whose pass just lacked the accuracy to feed Serhou Guirassy. Villarreal looked like they took the lead against the run of play, however Tajon Buchanan was in a clear offside position when he tapped into an empty net. 

BVB regathered themselves and attempted to push forward only for their build-up play in the final third to persistently let them down. As Guirassy was shut out by Juan Foyth, Marcel Sabitzer’s long-range effort on 25 minutes finally warmed the gloves of Luiz Junior on a cold night in Westphalia.

On the half-hour, Villarreal created a fine chance as a crafty set-piece routine flashed over the bar from Pape Gueye. However, BVB snatched the lead before the break. Guirassy bundled in a corner somewhat controversially – Anton seemed close to handling the ball in the build-up but VAR saw no issue to intervene. 

The second-half was defined by a spate of misfortune for the La Liga side as captain Foyth was red-carded for the use of his hand to block Adeyemi’s shot on the line. Match arbiter Davide Massa pointed to the spot and while Guirassy was kept out initially by Luiz Junior, he thumped in the rebound merciless fashion.  

BVB’s night got better in the 58th-minute as Adeyemi played a beautiful one-two with Julian Brandt. Thomas Partey’s intervention resulted in the ball striking the winger and looping over the Brazilian shot-stopper. Kovač swiftly refreshed his attack with Guirassy and Brandt hooked for Fábio Silva and Chukwuemeka. 

Adeyemi repeated his magic late on to earn a second penalty, offering Silva a chance to get on the scoresheet. The crossbar ultimately spared Villarreal’s blushes, but the final score would read 4-0 in injury time. Jobe Bellingham and Pascal Groß combined on the right before Svensson headed in at the back post.