Jude Bellingham and Ansgar Knauff open Bundesliga accounts and Marco Reus ends drought as Borussia Dortmund win in Stuttgart
Jude Bellingham and Ansgar Knauff scored their first Bundesliga goals as Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat VfB Stuttgart 3-2 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
VfB Stuttgart 2-3 Borussia Dortmund
Goals: 1-0 Kalajdzic (17'), 1-1 Bellingham (47'), 1-2 Reus (52'), 2-2 Didavi (78'), 2-3 Knauff (80')
Mahmoud Dahoud delivered the first shot of a tense opening, with Gregor Kobel tipping his effort over the crossbar. Stuttgart fared better with their first effort on goal, Borna Sosa's sweeping cross from the left met by a looping header from Kalajdzic, which dipped in over Marwin Hitz into the far corner. Mateo Klimowicz then wasted an excellent opportunity on the counter-attack with Stuttgart racing forward with four men against two, although Tanguy Coulibaly almost rescued things with a shot which just missed the target. Chances to hit on the break continued to come for Stuttgart as they sat back and invited Dortmund to attack them, but with the quality in the Westphalians' attack, that was a risky tactic and Reus nearly punished them as he found room for a shot which Kobel did well to get down to.
There was an immediate sense of urgency in Dortmund's game after the break and Bellingham brought them level after just over a minute, tucking the ball into the bottom right-hand corner from Gio Reyna's lay-off. Haaland's dummy provided the lay-off for Reus to give Dortmund the lead with a well-placed right-footed effort beyond Kobel's reach and Haaland then blazed an effort of his own over the crossbar. Moments later, Coulibaly missed an even better chance to bring Stuttgart back on terms, as Dortmund nearly paid for their profligacy. They eventually did just that, with Stuttgart striking on another of their counter-attacks. After Mateu Morey gave the ball away cheaply in midfield, three quick passes sent Daniel Didavi through to level matters. Parity lasted only two minutes, though, before the 19-year-old Knauff capped a memorable week with his first Bundesliga goal, showing a maturity beyond his years to escape three Stuttgart players to make room for a shot he curled perfectly beyond Kobel to seal all three points for the guests.
Match stats
- Bellingham scored his first ever Bundesliga goal, in his 24th appearance.
- Knauff scored his first Bundesliga goal with his very first shot in the league.
- Reus ended a goalscoring drought in the Bundesliga of just over 14 games (1,131 minutes).
- Seven of Kalajdzic's 14 goals this season have been headers - more than any other player in the Bundesliga this season.
- In the week he made his Champions League debut, Knauff scored his first Bundesliga goal.
- Haaland set a new Bundesliga speed record for the season at 22.39mph (36.04km/h). He is the first and only player to break 36km/h this season.
Watch: Bellingham: "Nice to bounce back with a goal"
Line-ups
Stuttgart: Kobel - Mavropanos (Stenzel 61'), Anton, Kempf (c) (Churlinov 86') - Coulibaly (Klement 86'), Endo, Karazor, Sosa - Förster (Thommy 68'), Klimowicz (Didavi 61') - Kalajdzic
Unused subs: Bredlow, Massimo, Ahamada, Kaminski
Out: Al Ghaddioui (ankle), Castro (unknown), Egloff (ankle), Gonzalez (thigh), Mangala (thigh), Mola (hip), Silas (knee)
Coach: Pellegrino Matarazzo
Dortmund: Hitz - Morey (Piszczek 84'), Akanji, Hummels (Can 46'), Guerreiro - Bellingham (Brandt 80'), Delaney, Dahoud - Reus (c) (Knauff 67'), Haaland, Reyna (Hazard 80')
Unused subs: Bürki, Schulz, Reinier, Meunier
Out: Moukoko (shin), Passlack (knock), Sancho (thigh), Schmelzer (knee), Tigges (knock), Witsel (Achilles' tendon), Zagadou (knee)
Coach: Edin Terzic
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