Head coach Oliver Glasner made four changes to his line-up following last Sunday’s DFB Cup first round tie at Waldhof Mannheim. Filip Kostic was recalled on the left flank after missing that match through suspension, replacing Christopher Lenz. Sebastian Rode was absent through injury so Makoto Hasebe took his place in midfield and the captain’s armband, while Stefan Ilsanker and Aymen Barkok were preferred to Tuta and Jesper Lindstrom.
Dortmund with quickfire double
Having had a few glimpses of goal early on, the hosts began to click into gear and opened the scoring on 23 minutes. Eintracht lost the ball in their own half and were punished as Erling Haaland fed Marco Reus, who drilled it past Kevin Trapp. The Eagles were level within four minutes, though, when Dortmund defender Felix Passlack diverted the ball into his own net as he took it away from Rafael Borré, who was about to shoot.
But the home side soon regained their lead and again Haaland was the provider, playing it right to Thorgan Hazard, whose shot sailed in via the foot of Trapp. Just two minutes later, it was 3-1 and this time Haaland got the goal himself, winning the ball off Ilsanker and then beating Trapp. It could have been even worse for Eintracht at the break had Reus’ 40th-minute strike counted, but it was disallowed as the ball had gone out of play.
No way through
Glasner made a triple substitution at the break, including a debut for new signing Jens Petter Hauge, and the Eagles started the second half positively, with Borré twice going close. However, the knockout blow from Dortmund came in the 58th minute when the ball came through to Gio Reyna and he stroked it home, with the goal standing following a VAR review. The video assistant was also involved in the home side’s fifth goal. Yet again, the Black and Yellows broke quickly after winning possession and although Haaland was flagged offside after slotting past Trapp, the decision was overturned.
Eintracht, to their credit, kept trying to create opportunities. In the 86th minute, Borré’s header into the ground was tipped over by Gregor Kobel and from the resulting corner, Ragnar Ache – who had just come on – flicked it on for Hauge to net a debut goal from close range. It was nothing more than a consolation, though, and Haaland nearly made it 6-2 in the 90th minute only to be denied by a strong save from Trapp.
Summary: Room for improvement
The Eagles will certainly have easier assignments this season. Although they had a good period at the start of the second half, Dortmund – and in particular Haaland – were just too clinical on the counter-attack and ran out clear winners.
SGE line-up
Trapp – Ndicka, Ilsanker (Lenz 46'), Hinteregger – da Costa, Sow, Hasebe (Hrustic 69'), Kostic (Ache 86') – Barkok (Lindström 46'), Kamada (Hauge 46') - Borré
Goals
1-0 Reus (23')
1-1 Passlack o.g. (27’)
2-1 Hazard (32’)
3-1 Haaland (34’)
4-1 Reyna (58’)
5-1 Haaland (70’)
5-2 Hauge (86’)
