Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Barcelona
Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona had the potential to be one of the most entertaining matchups of Champions League Matchday 1. Both teams possess some amazing attacking talent and have been scoring for fun in their respective domestic leagues.
Unfortunately, there were no attacking fireworks on display as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw. Even the return of Lionel Messi couldn’t provide the match with the clinical touch it desperately needed.
Dortmund were slight underdogs according to the Champions League 2019 betting odds, but they will likely be the more disappointed of the two teams after they created the better opportunities and failed to capitalise. Captain Marco Reus was the main culprit as he saw his second-half penalty saved.
Highlights of the game
The big Champions League 2019 news heading into the match was that Messi finally made his return to the Barcelona squad after missing the start of the season with a calf injury.
However, the Argentine only started on the bench as 16-year-old wunderkind Ansu Fati kept his place alongside Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez after some impressive performances.
Griezmann had the first significant sight on goal in the match as his shot was deflected just wide for a corner. And on the ensuing set play, Gerard Pique’s glancing header flashed across the face of goal with no Barca player able to get a crucial touch.
Dortmund’s first real chance came on 25 minutes, and it was a good one. Thorgan Hazard came in from the wing and supplied a delightful through ball to Marco Reus, whose shot was well-saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Reus and ter Stegen were former team-mates at Borussia Monchengladbach, and they would have another crucial face-off later on in the match.
The hosts then began a period of sustained pressure as they created a number of chances. Hummels came close with a header off a free-kick, while full-back Achraf Hakimi tried his luck with a left-footed shot that went wide.
Dortmund’s attacking trio of Reus, Paco Alcacer, and Jadon Sancho then combined on 39 minutes, but Sancho disappointingly skied his shot way wide.
Sancho did make amends 10 minutes after the break as he won Dortmund a penalty. Barca full-back Nelson Semedo initially did well to contain Sancho’s dribble, but he then caught the young Englishman’s foot with his challenge.
Up stepped Reus to face ter Stegen, and it was the German goalkeeper who got the better of his old friend as he made a brilliant save going to his left.
Barca coach Ernesto Valverde finally brought on Lionel Messi for his season debut just before the hour mark. But even with the Argentine’s arrival, Dortmund were still creating the better opportunities. Paco Alcacer had a great chance from point-blank range, but his shot ballooned well over the bar.
Dortmund brought on their own substitute in Julian Brandt on 73 minutes, and the young German very nearly broke the deadlock three minutes later. His stunning strike from distance had ter Stegen beaten all ends up, but it cannoned back off the bar.
Reus would have two more chances at beating ter Stegen from close range, but the Barca keeper would once again prevail.
ter Stegen made headlines recently after his verbal spat with Manuel Neuer about wanting more playing time for Germany, and this performance in his home country has certainly helped his case.
With stoppage time running down, the last chance of the game fell to Messi. But the Argentine talisman, who was far from his influential best after coming on, could not provide a magical late winner as Barca had to settle for a point.
Key statistics
While Barcelona controlled much of possession during the match (59 per cent to 41), they did not do much with it. They created just seven shots, only one of which was on target.
On the other hand, Dortmund had 13 shots and four on target, but they couldn’t put any of them away. Reus was responsible for nearly half of those shots (six) and all four on target, but he just didn’t have the beating of his old friend ter Stegen on the night.
Meanwhile, Paco Alcacer’s streak of scoring in nine consecutive matches for club and country has finally been snapped.
What’s next?
After failing to find the back of the net against Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund will look to rediscover their scoring touch when they visit Eintracht Frankfurt on the weekend.
As for Barcelona, they will also be away from home to visit a surprising Granada side which has won back-to-back matches and has scored nine goals in four matches thus far this season.
As always, SBOBET will have complete odds for all those Bundesliga and La Liga matches.
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