Player Ratings from Borussia Dortmund’s exciting 3-1 win against Mainz | OneFootball

The main storyline of the day was Serhou Guirassy’s absence from Borussia Dortmund’s match with Mainz 05. The Guinean has been the club’s top scorer, while Mainz entered the match day in third place, so the Black and Yellows never seemed like the favorites, despite being in the Westfalenstadion. I don't want to dwell the heartbreaking final game of the 2022-23 season either.

So, it came as a pleasant surprise that Borussia Dortmund returned from international duty and defeated an opponent they’ve struggled against in recent years. The first half began very evenly, but after the half-hour mark, Dortmund’s players began winning more of the one-on-one duals, and they broke the deadlock through a Maxi Beier goal, assisted by Karim Adeyemi, though Julian Brandt deserves credit for creating the opportunity. Minutes later, Emre Can doubled the lead.

The second half saw a much more aggressive approach from Mainz, but it didn’t stop Maxi Beier from scoring a second goal. Paul Nebel did manage to pull one back for the visitors, but it was too little, too late. Borussia Dortmund have claimed a vital three points in their uphill quest for Europe. Here are the player ratings from BVB’s 3-1 win: