Borussia Dortmund cut gap to leaders Bayern Munich with comfortable win at Union Berlin
Borussia Dortmund cut the gap to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to eight points with a comfortable victory over Union Berlin at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei.
Union Berlin 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Goals: 0-1 Can (pen.) 10’, 0-2 Schlotterbeck 53’ (assist: Ryerson), 0-3 Beier 84’ (assist: Bellingham)
Dortmund were beaten at Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League in midweek but were looking to extend their unbeaten Bundesliga run to 12 matches, having last tasted defeat in the top flight against Bayern in October.
Union, meanwhile, were hoping to mark their 60th anniversary with an eye-catching victory over Borussia, who were beaten on their last visit to the Alte Försterei back in 2024/25.
The visitors wasted little time in asserting their authority in Berlin, carving out a golden opportunity to take the lead with just ten minutes on the clock. Serhou Guirassy burst into the Union penalty area before being brought down by goalkeeper Frederik Rønnow, promting referee Robert Hartmann to point to the spot.
Rønnow guessed the right way but was unable to keep out Emre Can, who confidently stroked the ball into the bottom left-hand corner to give the visitors an early lead.
Union responded well to going behind and soon threatened through Andrej Ilić, whose close-range header was saved by Gregor Kobel.
However, despite several promising set-piece deliveries from Josip Juranović, the home side struggled to fashion clear-cut openings and were fortunate not to fall further behind when Fabio Silva steered a header straight at Rønnow from Julian Ryerson's cross. Jobe Bellingham also had a goal-bound effort blocked, before Silva fired a low shot narrowly wide.
Union's hopes of mounting a comeback were dealth a major blow nine minutes into the second half. Ryerson delivered a corner towards the far post, where Nico Schlotterbeck rose highest to head powerfully past Rønnow, who got both hands to the ball but was unable to prevent it from squirming into the top corner.
The home side continued to search for a route back into the game but continued to hit a brick wall in the form of Can, Waltemar Anton and Schlotterbeck. Maximilian Beier eventually put the result beyond doubt late on, latching onto Bellingham's perfectly weighted pass before rifling a low shot across Rønnow and into the far corner.
Man of the Match: Nico Schlotterbeck
Not only did Schlotterbeck score the crucial second goal with a powerful header from Ryerson's corner, he also delivered a magnificent defensive display to help the visitors secure a tenth Bundesliga clean sheet of the season.
Schlotterbeck's aerial prowess was evident throughout the match, while his goal came just as Union were pushing for an equaliser.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Union Berlin 1.1 - Dortmund 2.12
Fastest player: Stanley Nsoki (Union), 34.49 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 0-3 by Maximilian Beier (Dortmund), 8 percent
Most pressed player: Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund), 19 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund), +3.74
Fantasy Heroes: Julian Ryerson (Dortmund, 315 Points), Gregor Kobel (Dortmund, 309 Points), Nico Schlotterbeck (Dortmund, 305 Points)
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