Odds BK vs. Borussia Dortmund: Lessons Learned from Europa League Game
Borussia Dortmund overcame a three-goal deficit to win 4-3 at Odds BK on Thursday night in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff.
The Norwegian side stormed to a stunning 3-0 lead through 22 minutes, with Jone Samuelsen finding the back of the net after just 14 seconds. Fredrik Nordkvelle and Espen Ruud also scored to give Odds a commanding advantage, but Dortmund replied with the next four goals to claim the win.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started the comeback in the 34th minute, and Shinji Kagawa made it 3-2 shortly after halftime. Aubameyang's second pulled BVB level midway through the second half, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan headed in the winner five minutes from time.
Here, Bleacher Report examines some of the lessons learned from the match.
Dortmund Did Not Come Ready to Play...
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The match will be remembered for Dortmund's comeback, and in the end, the result is all that matters for the Bundesliga club. But Thomas Tuchel's side were not ready to play from the opening whistle, and it showed.
Tuchel made five changes to his squad following the Bundesliga victory over Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend. Goalkeeper Roman Burki made way for Roman Weidenfeller (more on that momentarily), while Gonzalo Castro, Matthias Ginter, Sven Bender and Kevin Kampl also came into the squad.
The manager might have expected some drop-off from the Gladbach game, but he couldn't have been prepared for what came next. Within 14 seconds of the opening whistle, Odds had scored through Jone Samuelsen's stooping header.
Perhaps even more concerning than allowing such an early goal was the way it happened. Rafik Zekhnini beat Gonzalo Castro with alarming ease, and Samuelsen was completely unmarked throughout the entire sequence.
Odds doubled the lead in the 19th minute as Fredrik Nordkvelle finished a quick counter. Dortmund's defending was shambolic again, with Nordkvelle enjoying the freedom to run unopposed into the box before shooting.
The visitors finally woke up after Odds made it 3-0, but even though the match ended in victory, Tuchel can't be happy with how it started.
After opening the Bundesliga season with an impressive 4-0 victory over Gladbach, Dortmund appeared back to their best under Tuchel. The scare against Odds suggests there's still work to be done.
...But the Comeback Was Impressive
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After the awful start, Dortmund turned around the result by scoring the game's final four goals. In the process, the German side showcased some of the attacking flair we've come to expect from them.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started the comeback with Dortmund's first goal in the 34th minute. Odds goalkeeper Sondre Rossbach stopped Ilkay Gundogan's low shot from the edge of the box but spilled the rebound to Aubameyang, who finished from close range.
Shinji Kagawa made it 3-2 moments into the second half with a bouncing volley, and Aubameyang netted his second in the 76th minute after good work from Kagawa and Marcel Schmelzer on the left. By that point, a BVB victory felt inevitable, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan obliged with a headed winner five minutes from time.
In between, Dortmund thrilled their fans with relentless attacking play to fight their way back into the game. Some teams might have given up after falling behind 3-0. And who could have blamed Dortmund? The Bundesliga must be the club's top priority this season, and the players might have felt they would have a chance to turn around the deficit on home soil in the second leg.
But Dortmund went for it, and the win comes as an appropriate reward for their refusal to give in.
Roman Weidenfeller Should Have Done Better
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Roman Burki beat Roman Weidenfeller to the starting goalkeeper job in the preseason, but Weidenfeller had a chance to play Thursday. The 35-year-old stopper could have done little to keep out Odds' first two goals, but he was at fault on the third.
Espen Ruud was the goalscorer, thumping in a free-kick from about 35 yards out. Although Ruud hit the ball powerfully and with plenty of movement, a goalkeeper of Weidenfeller's experience should not have been beaten from that distance. Replays showed he had a chance to save it, but he could only push the ball into his own net.
Weidenfeller's day wasn't necessarily disastrous, but Burki certainly won't be fearing for his job.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Keeps Scoring
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored two more goals Thursday to continue his fine start to the season.
The Gabon international opened Dortmund's account with a close-range finish in the 34th minute, a goal that proved valuable for the hope it gave BVB going into half-time. He then scored the equalizer in the 76th minute, slotting in through the goalkeeper's legs following a cross by Marcel Schmelzer.
That makes three goals in three Europa League qualifiers for Aubameyang, who also grabbed a goal and an assist in the Bundesliga opener against Borussia Monchengladbach.
The only blot on Aubameyang's record against Odds was a miss from close range in the second half. But he more than made up for it with a strong all-around performance.
As the season progresses, Dortmund's success will hinge on many factors, but a major one will be Aubameyang's ability to keep scoring. As the team's first-choice center-forward, he's crucial to BVB's ambitions this term.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan Continues Strong Start to the Season
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Aubameyang isn't the only Dortmund player who has started the season well. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who scored again on Thursday, might be in even better form.
Mkhitaryan netted the winner against Odds with an 85th-minute header, and through five competitive matches so far this season, the Armenian midfielder has taken home an impressive haul of seven goals and three assists.
Four of those have come in Europa League qualifiers now, with two more in last weekend's Bundesliga opener. Mkhitaryan's rejuvenation under new coach Thomas Tuchel has been one of the more encouraging signs from the early stages of Dortmund's season, and he doesn't look like slowing down.
Dortmund Could Have Scored Even More
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On the balance of play over 90 minutes, Borussia Dortmund deserved the win for their relentless dedication to attacking Odds. Despite the poor start from the Germans, the better side won.
If anything, though, Dortmund should have scored more goals. If not for some wayward finishing, the Bundesliga side could have found the back of the net seven or eight times.
As previously mentioned, Aubameyang missed a sitter of a chance from close range in the second half. In addition, Dortmund hit the woodwork four times and outshot Odds 21-5.
Most nights, four goals would be considered good offensive production. But for Dortmund in this game, it was almost not enough.
