Jadon Sancho on target as Borussia Dortmund overpower Arminia Bielefeld
Jadon Sancho scored a first Bundesliga penalty and his sixth goal of the season, while there were first strikes of the campaign for Mahoud Dahoud and Reinier as Borussia Dortmund breezed past Arminia Bielefeld.
Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Arminia Bielefeld
Goals: 1-0 Dahoud (48'), 2-0 Sancho (pen. 58'), 3-0 Reinier (81')
Jude Bellingham had a shot blocked in the opening minutes, but it wasn't until Marco Reus struck the crossbar midway through the first half that Dortmund found their stride. Gio Reyna then found the side-netting at Stefan Ortega's near post, before Bielefeld's No.1 showed his class in denying Erling Haaland twice in a matter of seconds with his first shots of the game - the second a superb one-handed save to his right. Dortmund were piling on the pressure, but it was Bielefeld who had the perfect opportunity to take the lead before the break. Sergio Cordova was played in on goal after Manuel Prietl dispossessed Dahoud in midfield, but miscued his left-footed shot across goal.
Dortmund have scored so many more goals in the second half than the first this season, it that run continued against Bielefeld. Sancho dribbled forward on the left before setting up Dahoud to fire home past a helpless Ortega just three minutes after the restart. The Dortmund lead was doubled 13 minutes later from the spot after Reus was brought down by former Dortmund youth product Amos Pieper in front of goal. Sancho stepped up and sent Ortega the wrong way to get on the scoresheet. Ritsu Doan was blocked just in front of goal by Emre Can as Bielefeld stepped up their search for a way back into the game, while Reus saw a shot saved by the head of Ortega at his near post. Reinier stepped off the bench to put the result beyond any doubt, the Real Madrid loanee tucking in from Haaland to seal Dortmund's third straight competitive win.
Match stats
- Dortmund have scored 36 of their 47 goals in the Bundesliga this season in the second half.
- Dahoud's goal was his first in the Bundesliga since August 2018. It is his second goal in his last three competitive games for Dortmund, following his effort against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League last 16.
- Sancho has contributed 11 goals in 10 league games since the turn of the year. Dortmund remain unbeaten in the Bundesliga when Sancho has scored. Their record stands at 25 wins, six draws and no defeats.
- Reinier scored his first Bundesliga goal for Dortmund.
- Dortmund are unbeaten at home in the Bundesliga under Edin Terzic (W3, D2).
- Bielefeld have only won once on the road this season - at Schalke on Matchday 13.
Watch: Sancho: "I've been practising penalties"
Line-ups
Dortmund: Hitz - Morey (Meunier 80'), Can, Hummels (Zagadou 85'), Guerreiro - Dahoud (Brandt 85'), Bellingham - Sancho, Reus (c) (Reinier 80'), Reyna (Hazard 69') - Haaland
Unused subs: Bürki, Schulz, Piszczek, Moukoko
Out: Akanji (muscle tear), Schmelzer (knee), Witsel (Achilles' tendon)
Coach: Edin Terzic
Bielefeld: Ortega - Brunner, Pieper, Nilsson, Laursen - Doan (Okugawa 75'), Kunze (Seufert 75'), Prietl, Voglsammer (Gebauer 62') - Klos (c) (Vlap 62'), Cordova (Schipplock 62')
Unused subs: Linner, van der Hoorn, de Medina, Hartel
Out: Soukou (knock)
Coach: Uwe Neuhaus
Watch: Bellingham: "We put our chances away in the second half"
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