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Dortmund down Gladbach in thrilling Battle of the Borussias

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Raphael Guerreiro nodded in a late winner as Borussia Dortmund got the better of Borussia Mönchengladbach in a thrilling Battle of the Borussias.

Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-3 Borussia Dortmund

Goals: 0-1 Reus (pen. 10'), 1-1 Stindl (43'), 2-1 Schmelzer (o.g. 48'), 2-2 Aubameyang (59'), 2-3 Guerreiro (87')

Dortmund came into the game knowing a win would see them leapfrog Hoffenheim and go third in the table. They took the lead on 10 minutes when Christian Pulisic was brought down in the area by Mahmoud Dahoud, and Marco Reus confidently stroked home the resulting penalty. The Black-and-Yellows lost Nuri Sahin to injury shortly afterwards, but continued to threaten through their formidable three-pronged attack of Pulisic, Reus and Ousmane Dembele. However, Gladbach got back on level terms when Mikel Merino – Sahin's replacement - played a poor pass that was intercepted by Andre Hahn, who teed up Lars Stindl for the equaliser on the stroke of half-time.

Gladbach carried that momentum into the start of the second half, and went ahead when Oscar Wendt drilled a low cross into the Dortmund area and Marcel Schmelzer turned into his own net. Thomas Tuchel soon decided it was time for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to join the fray, and it took the Gabon striker barely two minutes to bring BVB level after replacing Reus, with Dembele setting him up for a league-leading 27th goal of the campaign. Roman Bürki then produced a wonderful save to deny Patrick Herrmann, before Raphael Guerreiro - who had hit the post five minutes beforehand - had the final word as he nodded in a Gonzalo Castro free-kick, handing Dortmund all three points and pushing them up to third in the table.

Man of the Match

There were several contenders on both sides in a well-matched contest, but Guerreiro struck when it mattered for Dortmund to ensure they came away with the three points. The Portuguese international completed 86 per cent of his passes, but mostly important popped up with a winner that keeps the Black-and-Yellows on course for the UEFA Champions League.

Talking Point

Dortmund's win over Gladbach was the perfect demonstration of the mental fortitude Thomas Tuchel's charges have developed since the attack on their team bus a fortnight ago. They move up into third place as a result, and that resilience will likely come in handy when they take on Bayern in the DFB Cup semi-finals in midweek.

Match Stats

    Dortmund have scored a league-leading 15 goals in the opening 15 minutes of games this season.Reus has had a hand in 10 goals against his former side Gladbach in eight Bundesliga meetings (five goals, five assists). Stindl has now scored in three consecutive Bundesliga games for the first time in his career.

Line-ups

Gladbach: Sommer – Elvedi (Korb 81'), Christensen, Vestergaard, Wendt – Hofmann, Dahoud (Benes 64'), Strobl, Traore (Herrmann 71') – Stindl (c), Hahn

Coach: Dieter Hecking

Dortmund: Bürki – Ginter, Bender, Schmelzer (c) – Durm, Sahin (Merino 22'), Castro, Guerreiro – Dembele (Mor 87'), Reus (Aubameyang 57'), Pulisic

Coach: Thomas Tuchel

Watch: Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki discusses his side's win over Gladbach

Click here to go to the Battle of the Borussias Match Centre!