FC Ingolstadt 04 vs. Borussia Dortmund: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga Game
Borussia Dortmund continued their bright start to the new Bundesliga season with another 4-0 win, this time over recently promoted side Ingolstadt in southern Germany.
Thomas Tuchel's reign has begun in an almost perfect manner, and Sunday afternoon's Bundesliga showdown wasn't a match that was about to derail the feel-good atmosphere around the Black and Yellows at the moment.
Although Ralph Hasenhuttl's side were able to hold out until the 55th minute, another three points for the German champions seemed all but inevitable from the very first minute.
Here are the winners and losers from Sunday's game.
Winner: Dortmund's Varied Front Line
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Although a number of Dortmund's front line could be individually praised for their performance on Sunday, it was certainly worth noting that despite all the solo goals and runs on show, it was a collective showing of how far Dortmund have come under Tuchel.
Not only was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again on the scoresheet and Marco Reus causing havoc for the opposing defence, but Shinji Kagawa and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were also on form and ready to step up with the goals and assists.
Dortmund may only be two games into their new Bundesliga campaign, but already we've seen them play at the height of their confidence. Tuchel's team look dangerous and full of varying possibilities for goals and assists throughout the pitch.
Winner: Marcel Schmelzer
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Marcel Schmelzer looks like a new player under Tuchel. Sure, you could say that about a number of players in this squad at the moment, but few look as revitalised as this full-back.
From left-back, Schmelzer bombed up and down the wing all afternoon against Ingolstadt with crosses, cutbacks and simple passes to open up the home side time and again.
The defender would finally get his reward when he was awarded a penalty in the 59th minute after a late run into the opposition's box. That is just one example of the confidence Schmelzer has this season and how useful he is to Dortmund at the moment.
Winner: Matthias Ginter
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Following on from Thursday night's rare and rather odd shot at right-back against Odds, Tuchel decided to stick with Matthias Ginter on the right side of defence against Ingolstadt on Sunday afternoon.
The young player, who has yet to truly convince as a central defender since signing from Freiburg, had never started as a full-back in the Bundesliga before but took to it like a duck to water.
It was Ginter—not Reus, Aubameyang nor Mkhitaryan—who opened the scoring in the 55th minute, with a goal that rounded off a solid performance from the 21-year-old.
Has this young talent found a new position in Tuchel's squad?
Loser: Ingolstadt's Energy
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Not many would have predicted a win for the recently promoted Ingolstadt when Dortmund came to town on Sunday. However, even their manager would have been a little upset at how the lowly Bundesliga side ultimately gave up against the Black and Yellows.
Despite a hard-fought first half that was balanced in midfield and defence, Hasenhuttl's men reached a point early on in the second half where they simply couldn't keep up with Dortmund anymore.
With three points already on the board from their win over Mainz last season, fans of the Bavarian side won't be too dejected after defeat to Dortmund. Yet some fans may wonder how their team completely capitulated after a strong opening 45 minutes.
