Borussia Dortmund went level with Bayern Munich, who play on Sunday, after demolishing Freiburg 5-1 at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday afternoon. After losing successive games to end 2022, Edin Terzić has won four Bundesliga games on the bounce this calendar year, putting BVB right back in the title race.
Nico Schlotterbeck opened the scoring for Die Schwarzgelben against his former employers with an excellent finish from a tight angle, but despite all the possession, BVB failed to capitalise and Lucas Höler equalised seconds before the break.
Whatever Terzić said at half-time, Borussia Dortmund came out all guns blazing. Karim Adeyemi, Sébastien Haller and Julian Brandt all scored in a 21 minute spell. Chances came aplenty as BVB dominated and Gio Reyna added a fifth for BVB, his third goal in 2023.
It’s a statement win for Borussia Dortmund against a Freiburg side that will be challenging for European football come May. As players return, Terzić has a selection headache, but it’s a good problem to have. Reyna has impressed, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens shone when introduced and Adeyemi is finally scoring. With upcoming games against Werder Bremen, Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim, BVB fans will be hoping this run goes on a little longer, but they face a difficult game against RB Leipzig on March 3.
Borussia Dortmund Player Ratings
Gregor Kobel, 6
Marius Wolf, 6
Niklas Süle, 5
Nico Schlotterbeck, 6
Raphaël Guerreiro, 8 – Back in the squad ahead of Julian Ryerson, three assists this afternoon for the Portugal international. With an expiring contract, he’s playing for his BVB future.
Emre Can, 6
Jude Bellingham, 7
Julian Brandt, 7
Marco Reus, 6
Karim Adeyemi, 7 – That’s goals in successive games for the German, who hasn’t had the easiest of times since his move from RB Salzburg in the summer. Operating on the left, Adeyemi looks much more at home and behind Haller, he’s creating quite the understanding already, often finding himself in 1v1 situations. Gave Sildillia a troubled time.
Sébastien Haller, 8 – There won’t be a better story this weekend than the French-Ivorian scoring his first Borussia Dortmund, in front of the Yellow Wall, and on no better day to do it on than World Cancer Day. Haller sent a message of hope, many had predicted that he wouldn’t be playing football again for at least another couple of months. Haller showcased his skillset today.
Freiburg Player Ratings
Mark Flekken, 3
Lukas Kübler, 3
Matthias Ginter, 5
Philipp Lienhart, 4
Kiliann Sildillia, 1 – An afternoon to forget for the young Frenchman. Has been impressive this season but struggled to contain Karim Adeyemi today. Sent off for a second yellow card within seconds of each other. A steep learning curve for the right-back.
Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, 3
Christian Günter, 4
Ritsu Doan, 3
Vincenzo Grifo, 3
Lucas Höler, 5
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
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