Mats Hummels, Borussia Dortmund Deliver Top Performance Amidst Controversy

Mats Hummels knew what to expect from some of the fans in Signal Iduna Park on Saturday. It was a self-inflicted wound, if you like, as head coach Thomas Tuchel pointed out jokingly before the game in an interview with German broadcaster Sky:

Seeing as the match against Wolfsburg had little bearing on the season for either of the two sides, the Hummels sideshow took centre stage, at least early on.

A chorus of boos and whistles rained down on the team captain whenever he touched the ball, especially loud in the first half. A banner on the famous "Sudtribune," the south stand of the stadium, summed up what many fans felt after the club announced on Thursday that Hummels wants to move to Bayern Munich in the summer:

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Here's the Südtribüne's message to Hummels: "The captain is leaving the ship. The sooner the better." #BVBWOB pic.twitter.com/bfN8hBVJLm

— Onefootball (@Onefootball) April 30, 2016"

After 20 minutes or so, however, other parts of the stadium began to applaud the 27-year-old's every move. "A very ambivalent mood could be felt in the stadium" said Tuchel, per the club's official website.

It helped that the Black and Yellows came out firing on all cylinders, going ahead by two goals from Shinji Kagawa and Adrian Ramos within the first 10 minutes of the game. Hummels, interestingly, intercepted the ball at the halfway line before the first goal.

Overall, the strange atmosphere didn't seem to affect the Germany international too much—or the team in general, for that matter.

"A great compliment needs to be paid to the whole team, and especially to Mats Hummels, for the way in which we played against Wolfsburg today," Marcel Schmelzer said, per the club's official website. Unlike Hummels, the left-back was celebrated throughout the game after he extended his contract earlier in the week.

Tuchel also lauded his team's performance, and Hummels' in particular:

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Since this came to light on Thursday, there has been a strong feeling of solidarity. The team is a tight-knit group. Mats was able to rely on his team mates continuing to play with him as normal—irrespective of what happens. That gave him the sense of security to allow him to stay calm and relaxed, and to play a strong game.

"

A strong game it was from Hummels, who "did what he had to do and showed a seemingly unaffected professional performance with a couple of trademark long passes," as ESPN FC's Stefan Buczko put it. Per WhoScored.com, the 27-year-old completed an astounding 10 of 11 long balls, leading his team by some distance.

Wolfsburg struggled to defend these passes, conceding two goals from long balls—albeit not from Hummels—as this video shows:

Sven Bender and Gonzalo Castro initiated the second on fourth goals with long, driving balls deep into the Wolves' defensive third.

Hummels also made an important block against a shot from Daniel Caligiuri, deflecting the Italian's effort onto the crossbar. At that point in the first half, getting one back could've put Wolfsburg back in the game. As it went, Dortmund cruised to a thoroughly deserved victory, as the expected-goals chart from football writer Michael Caley shows:

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xG map for Dortmund - Wolfsburg. They won't be winning the title, but BVB keep it going anyway. pic.twitter.com/MBe6GnA5iK

— Michael Caley (@MC_of_A) April 30, 2016"

All could have been well after a fun afternoon against hapless Wolves, but things turned ugly after the game. A small portion of fans hurled abuse at the captain, which didn't go over well with Tuchel: "It is not pleasant for your captain to have to deal with such an atmosphere in your own stadium. I think there is a difference between whistling and offensive songs which go too far in their content."

The hostility towards Hummels, however small the responsible group of fans was, shows the tense atmosphere surrounding his upcoming transfer to the rivals from Bavaria. With the DFB-Pokal final against Bayern on May 21 looming large, a quick resolution would be in everyone's best interest.

If nothing else, Hummels' performance amidst the controversy against Wolfsburg proved he can handle the pressure. No matter how one thinks of his wish to leave the club, that's a commendable attitude.

Lars Pollmann is a Featured Columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for YellowWallPod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.