Departing Marco Reus rolls back the years as Borussia Dortmund overwhelm Augsburg
Having announced his departure after 12 years on the eve of the match, Marco Reus gave the Borussia Dortmund fans an afternoon to remember with a sublime display in a big win over Augsburg.
Borussia Dortmund 5-1 Augsburg
Goals: 1-0 Moukoko 4', 2-0 Malen 20' (assist: Bynoe-Gittens), 3-0 Moukoko 29' (assist: Reus), 3-1 Vargas 32' (assist: Maier), 4-1 Reus 34' (assist: Watjen), 5-1 Nmecha 64' (assist Reus)
Halfway through their Champions League semi-final tie with Paris Saint-Germain, Edin Terzić rotated heavily for the arrival of Augsburg and will have been left absolutely thrilled with what he saw from his charges. It took less than four minutes for Youssafa Moukko to open the scoring when he neatly backheeled a botched clearance ball through his legs and into the goal. Malen went close to adding to the total straight away on the break but after being denied one-on-one, he couldn’t miss his second chance when Jamie Bynoe-Gittens gave him a simple header in the six yard box in the 20th minute. Reus, who announced that he will be leaving after 12 years on the eve of the game, then got involved, with a free-kick from out wide bundled in by Moukoko. Augsburg got one back through Ruben Vargas but then Reus gave the Yellow Wall a moment to remember as he brilliantly dinked in a fantastic through ball from youngster Kjell Wätjen to make it an utterly dominant first half.
It was much of the same from BVB in the second-half and in the 64th minute Felix Nmecha put the game to bed with a sweeping strike to seal the deal. The Yellow Wall had barely finished applauding a fine display when Reus' number went up on the substitutes board and he recieved the biggest roar in a game full of them. Collecting his children to bring onto the pitch at full-time, Dortmund's fans gave their hero and his teammates a hearty goodbye before their UEFA Champions League semi-final, second leg trip to Paris, where history could be made.
Watch: Dortmund's Yellow Wall pays tribute to Reus at the final whistle
Match stats
- Reus posted a goal and an assist in a Bundesliga game for the first time this seasn.
- Kjell Wätjen, who made his Bundesliga debut in this game at the age of 18, got the assist for Reus' goal.
- Moukoko hit a brace for the second time in Germany's top flight. His first was against Bochum in November 2022.
- Nmecha's goal was his first in the Bundesliga for Dortmund. He had only previously found the net for the club in the Champions League - the winner in a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United on 25 October 2023.
- Karim Adeyemi recorded a top speed of 35.36 km/h (21.97 mph) in this game. That is the fastest any BVB player as run in the Bundesliga this season.
- Augsburg have lost each of their last six visits to Dortmund, their worst such return against any club in the Bundesliga.
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Watch: Reus announces decision to leave Dortmund
Teams
Dortmund: Kobel (c) - Wolf (Özcan 63'), Süle, Papadopoulos, Morey (Schlotterbeck 63') - Nmecha (Sabitzer 74'), Wätjen - Malen (Adeyemi 63'), Reus (Brandt 66'), Bynoe-Gittens - Moukoko
Unused subs: Meyer, Can, Sancho, Füllkrug
Out: Bensebaini (knee), Haller (ankle)
Coach: Edin Terzić
Augsburg: Koubek - Mbabu, Gouweleeuw, Uduokhai, Pedersen - Bauer (Pfeiffer 67') Breithaupt (Engels 78'), Maier (Kömür 73') - Vargas (Dorsch 67') - Tietz (Beljo 67'), Demirović (c)
Unused subs: Lubik, Biel, Michel
Out: Framberger (knee), Gumny (knee), Iago (foot), Jakić (suspended), Jensen (calf), Oxford (illness), Rexhbecaj (ankle)
Coach: Jess Thorup
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