Borussia Dortmund vs. FSV Mainz: Winners and Losers from Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund beat FSV Mainz 2-0 on Matchday 26 of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season on Sunday in Signal Iduna Park.
Marco Reus scored the opener after 30 minutes following a fantastic assist from Gonzalo Castro. The Black and Yellows had numerous chances to extend their lead, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and even left-back Marcel Schmelzer failed to convert.
Shinji Kagawa finally scored the decisive second goal in the 73rd minute.
The game was overshadowed by the tragic death of a spectator during the game. Dortmund later announced via Twitter (link in German) that another person had been successfully resuscitated and seems to be in a stable state.
The second half was played in eerie silence as both groups of fans suspended their support. The entire stadium gave a bone-chilling rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" after the final whistle, as a video from Goal.com's Stefan Doering shows.
Find our selections for the game's best and worst performers on the following pages.
Winner: Marco Reus
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Mainz continue to be Marco Reus' favourite opponents. The Germany international scored his 10th goal in 13 Bundesliga meetings with the club from Rhineland-Palatinate, per WhoScored.com on Twitter.
The 26-year-old added five key passes and three interceptions in what was a stellar performance, per the WhoScored.com.
Reus seems to be hitting his stride at the right time, having already bagged a brace in midweek against Tottenham Hotspur.
He was one of the first players to speak to the press after the game was over and confirmed that they didn't know about the circumstances on the stands, per football writer Alex Truica.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel praised his attacking midfielder for an outstanding performance after the game, per local paper Ruhr Nachrichten on Twitter (link in German).
Loser: Jhon Cordoba
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It might be unfair to pin it all on the striker, but Mainz didn't create a single goalscoring opportunity of note in the entire game, so calling Jhon Cordoba a loser isn't a stretch.
There was no land in sight for the Colombian against either of Dortmund's defenders. He was dispossessed a whopping six times during the game, per WhoScored.com.
After scoring the winner in Mainz's famous 2-1 over Bayern Munich in Allianz Arena two matchdays ago, Cordoba came down to earth—hard—against Dortmund.
Winner: Shinji Kagawa
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If one player needed a good game, it was Dortmund's Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa.
The midfielder had fallen down Tuchel's pecking order in recent weeks, having spent a grand total of eight minutes on the pitch in the three games in March prior to Sunday.
He didn't have a great game, but it was certainly a solid one. Most importantly, he scored his first goal since bagging a late winner at Wolfsburg early in December.
That goal will do Kagawa, who seems to need confidence to play well even more than most, a world of good.
Loser: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
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In continuation of a somewhat worrying trend, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a number of clear-cut opportunities to add to his impressive tally this season.
He was involved in an especially bizarre sequence early in the second half, where he failed to beat Loris Karius in Mainz's goal four times in a span of two minutes or so.
We mentioned a number of times during the first few games of the Ruckrunde—as the second half of the season is called in Germany—that the Gabonese is running hot and cold in front of goal, and that was the case once again.
Luckily for him and his team, Mainz were not in a position to capitalise from Aubameyang's profligacy, but it's still puzzling to see him struggle to finish chances these days.
The Gabon international did make the assist for Kagawa's goal, so it wasn't all bad, but he'll still demand more from himself.
Winner: Loris Karius
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Since we called Aubameyang a loser of the game, Mainz goalkeeper Loris Karius has earned his mention as a winner.
He was, quite frankly, the only Mainz player on good form and the only reason the Zerofivers didn't go home with a four- or five-goal drubbing.
Per Ruhr Nachrichten (link in German), his head coach Martin Schmidt correctly pointed out after the game that Karius defended very well until the first goal, but he came under fire time and time again after intermission.
The 22-year-old, who's been linked with a number of clubs from abroad, among them Liverpool, per Bleacher Report's Dean Jones, once again proved his worth.
With performances like the one against a strong Dortmund side on Sunday, it'll be difficult for Mainz to hold onto their goalkeeper for one more year.
Lars Pollmann is a Featured Columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for YellowWallPod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.
