BVB prove clinical in 4-3 win over Mamelodi Sundowns | OneFootball

Mamelodi Sundowns proved to be a tough opponent, dominating the first half hour and taking the lead in the 11th minute through Ribeiro. Nmecha capitalised on a blunder by keeper Williams to equalise in the 16th minute. Guirassy (34) and new signing Bellingham (45), making his first start in a BVB shirt, put Dortmund 3-1 ahead in front of 14,000 spectators before the break. The eight to nine thousand BVB fans at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati saw their team net a fourth goal in the 60th minute , with Mudau turning a cross from Svensson into his own net. But the South Africans never gave up. Rayners reduced the deficit to 4-2 just two minutes later, and Mothiba made it 4-3 in the 90th minute to set up a nerve-shredding finale.

The scenario:   The South African team won 1-0 in their first match against Ulsan HD from South Korea, while BVB were lucky to come away with a 0-0 draw against Fluminense. Like BVB with the UEFA Champions League, Mamelodi Sundowns qualified for the Club World Cup via their ranking in the African Champions League.

Personnel matters:BVB made three changes to their line-up for the match: Yan Couto, Felix Nmecha and Jobe Bellingham replaced Julian Ryerson, Marcel Sabitzer and Karin Adeyemi, who moved to the bench.

Tactics:   The Borussia players, dressed entirely in white, lined up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation. Mamelodi Sundowns operated in a 4-1-4-1 formation, looking to break forward down the left wing. The match & analysis:High noon in Cincinnati. The match kicked off at 12 noon with temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius in the stands and around 40 degrees down on the pitch in this melting pot. As in the first match against Fluminense, BVB had a difficult start to the game. Only Guirassy could be seen pressing, while the ball-playing South African opponents dictated the rhythm and made Borussia look vulnerable every time they picked up the pace. Kobel was called into action for the first time in the fifth minute: Matthews broke through on the left wing, cut into the penalty area and unleashed a shot on goal, but the BVB keeper did well to make the save. Not long afterwards, the Black & Yellows were caught out through the middle. Ribeiro dribbled past Anton near the centre circle, Bensebaini tried to stop the speedy Brazilian with a sliding tackle which proved unsuccessful; all of a sudden the Mamelodi player was clean through on goal. Ribeiro kept his cool to slot the ball home past Kobel and make it 1-0 in the 11th minute.

A gift from Williams gave BVB the equaliser just five minutes later. The Sundowns keeper wanted to play the ball forward from his own five-yard box, but he failed to spot Nmecha, who slotted home to make it 1-1 (11). However, the equaliser didn't give BVB a momentum shift. Mamelodi continued to control the game and looked dangerous going forward, especially down the left, while BVB only had a sprinkling of bright moments. In the 19th minute, Guirassy narrowly missed from five yards out after a link-up between Gross and Svensson. A quarter of an hour later, Gross did well to seize the ball ten metres into the opposition half. He played it to Guirassy, who laid it off to Brandt near the edge of the box and made a run forward. Brandt then curled a ball forward to him, with Guirassy rising high to head the ball into the back of the net and make it 2-1 (34). Given that they had won only 31% of their tackles, had 36% possession and were (slightly) less accurate in their passing (85% to 89%), the lead was not necessarily deserved.

However, it was also true that the tough conditions were not as unfamiliar to the South Africans as they were to the Europeans. Their jerseys were soaked with sweat after just half an hour. Nevertheless, the goal to make it 2-1 had turned momentum favour of BVB, and they were able to up their lead to 3-1 before the half-time whistle. At the start of stoppage time, Nmecha played the ball out to Brandt on the right, whose sharp cross was deflected forward by Williams. The ball fell to Bellingham, who turned and fired home from 15 metres out to make it 3-1. BVB almost netted a fourth goal, but Williams reacted quickly to save Guirassy's header from close range.

Mamelodi came out of the dressing room with a bang. In the 55th minute, Kobel was required to deflect a shot from Rayners onto the crossbar. However, the goal would not have counted due to offside. It was nevertheless a warning for BVB. Shortly afterwards, Mokoena fired a free kick from 26 metres out: Anton was well placed near the line to deflect the ball over the bar. After the two Mamelodi chances, Nmecha drove forward to try and muster up a response for BVB. He played the ball to Bellingham, who received it in a central position and shifted it out to Svensson on the left. His sharp cross was deflected into his own net by Mudau to make it 4-1 (60).

Just two minutes later, the South Africans were awarded another free kick. This time, Mokoena crossed into the box, where Rayners headed the ball onto the left post. The rebound fell back to Rayners, who forced the ball into the back of the net to bring the scoreline to 4-2.  Free-kicks were proving dangerous down both ends. Bensebaini had a completely free header from a BVB set-piece delivery, but Williams made a strong save to prevent the scoreline from going to 5-1 (68). BVB had the game firmly under control, but were forced to sweat again at the start of the seven minutes of added time. Mothiba found himself free in front of Kobel after a pass from the left wing and reduced the deficit to 4-3. However, BVB did well to shift the action into the opposition's half, with substitute Adeyemi causing a lot of trouble for the South Africans.

Outlook:  In their third and final group match, BVB will face Ulsan HD from South Korea on Wednesday (21:00 CEST).

Mamelodi Sundowns: Williams – Mudau, Cupido, Kekana, Lunga – Mokoena (69, Adams) – Ribeiro (69, Arthur Sales), Zwane, Allende, Matthews (69, Morena) – Rayners (77, Mothiba)Bor. Dortmund: Kobel – Süle (83, Ryerson), Anton, Bensebaini – Yan Couto, Gross, Nmecha (63, Sabitzer), Svensson – Brandt (63, Chukwuemeka), Bellingham (83, Beier) – Guirassy (90+2 Adeyemi)Bank: Onyango, Khoza, Lebusa, Mdunyelwa, Modiba, Mvala, Aubaas, Maema, Mkhulise, Lethlaku, Shalulile – Meyer, Benkara, Coulibaly, Mané, Azhil, Campbell, Reyna, Duranville, Gittens, Inacio Goals: 1-0 Ribeiro (11., Matthews), 1-1 Nmecha (16), 1-2 Guirassy (34, Brandt), 1-3 Bellingham (45+1, Brandt), 1-4 Svensson (60, Bellingham), 2-4 Rayners (62, Mokoena), 3-4 Mothiba (90, Lethlaku)Corners: 2:4 (1-3 at half-time), chance ratio: 7-7 (3-5)Referee: Benitez (Paraguay), bookings : Matthews, Allende – Chukwuemeka, BeierAttendance: 14,000 in Cincinnati (Ohio), weather: sunny, 30 degrees