Anderlecht vs. Borussia Dortmund: Lessons Learned from Champions League Game

Borussia Dortmund were able to take their mind off a troubling start to the season with another convincing win in Group D of the Champions League, this time in a 3-0 win against Belgian champions Anderlecht. 

Jurgen Klopp's side were under a fair amount of pressure ahead of Wednesday night's game, with two draws and a loss in the Bundesliga following their standout 2-0 win over Arsenal in the first group match. 

Yet it was a comfortable win for the black and yellows at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium in Brussels by three goals to nil.

New signing Ciro Immobile opened the scoring with a goal in only the third minute of the game, before fellow newbie Adrian Ramos grabbed a late brace to claim all three points. Anderlecht certainly had their chances, even hitting Roman Weidenfeller's post at one point, but in the end Dortmund looked comfortable in the lead very early on. 

Here's what we took from the game. 

Shinji Kagawa Is Back on Form

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One of the most notable things we can take from this game was the manner in which Shinji Kagawa burst back into this Dortmund side. 

Although there were hints of offside for Immobile's opening goal, the true beauty of Kagawa's chipped through ball perfectly justified any wrongdoing in Dortmund going ahead. 

Yet that wasn't the last of the Japanese international, as he continuously found space behind the Anderlecht midfield and played his teammates through time and time again. 

Following a weekend defeat to Schalke which saw Klopp deploy a flat midfield four, it was quite welcoming to coach and fans alike to see the former Manchester United star back to his old self behind the striker. 

Dortmund may be without Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marco Reus, but for now Kagawa keeps this side ticking along. 

A Welcome Return for Sebastian Kehl

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Dortmund certainly weren't back to their old solid, defensive self away to Anderlecht on Wednesday night, but they did look notably more balanced throughout the course of the game. 

One of the main reasons for this was the return of veteran defensive midfielder Sebastian Kehl to the starting line-up in this Champions League tie. 

The former club captain offered a modest defensive role that has certainly alluded his teammates Matthias Ginter and Milos Jojic in recent weeks.

Klopp picked the right man for this central midfield role on the night and it worked perfectly, as his side kept a clean sheet for the first time since the aforementioned victory against Arsenal. 

Clinical Finishing Proves Vital

Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Associated Press

It was far from a classic or even impressive finish from Immobile on Wednesday night, but the Italian striker did the hardest thing on the pitch when he knocked the ball home to put his side ahead in only the third minute of the game. 

Similarly, it took fellow goalscorer Ramos just four minutes to pick his angle and calmly finish a wonderful cross from Lukasz Piszczek in the 69th minute, before his second 10 minutes later.

To put these goals into perspective, we saw fellow striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang miss chance after chance as well as an open goal half way through the first-half. The Gabonese forward found the space and service but simply couldn't find a goal. 

Dortmund may have all the talent in the world, but it takes a special type of skill to finish in these big games when it really matters. Something only Immobile and Ramos had on the night. 

Dortmund Continue Strong Record on the Road

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Tuesday night's result in Belgium now means that Dortmund have only lost two of their last 12 away games in the Champions League. 

Despite an inconsistent start to their domestic season in Germany, Klopp's side have kept up appearances in Europe's premier club competition with another strong performance on the road. 

The 3-0 victory now means that Dortmund can rest easy on six points atop of Group D following a strong 4-1 win from Arsenal against Galatasaray in London. 

An away trip to Istanbul now beckons for the German club, who should undoubtedly go into such a game with every chance of picking up another three points.