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Borussia Dortmund has not had a great month and a half, but maybe the club can take solace in the impressive teamwork that led to a goal Friday — even if that goal was scored by Stuttgart. As the Bundesliga returned from the international break, Dortmund defender Marc Bartra and goalie Roman Burki combined to great effect to allow Chadrac Akolo to score in the fifth minute.
The way Bartra was able to angle his pass off the shin of Burki and directly into the path of Akolo is nothing short of world class. The way Burki looked at Bartra is basically how I react when I go to Taco Bell and they tell me they’re out of cheese. (Yes, this has happened to me, multiple times. I should probably stop going but I like to eat cheap garbage.)
Perhaps Bartra didn’t realize Akolo was nearby because Stuttgart was wearing its all-black camouflage kit that is absolutely stunning, for better or worse. Because black camo on a green pitch is sure to make players weave in and out of visibility like some sort of Kevin Bacon.
Stuttgart's camo kit. Photo: @DonaldsonESPN | Twitter
The black kit runs the fine fashion line between sleek chic and ghastly faux pas. In the right light, it appears the jersey is made of leather, which would be kind of badass and better than the wool jerseys of decades past, but probably not something you’d want to do any sort of physical competition in. Fortunately, the jersey numbers and names on the back were in white, so they were actually legible unlike some gruesome Oregon or Baylor uniform.
Probably because of the jersey choices, Stuttgart won the match 2-1, meaning Dortmund’s only win since the end of September was a league cup win over third-division FC Magdeburg. Dortmund has lost four of five in the Bundesliga, with a draw against Frankfurt the only semi-favorable result. It was the first time BVB lost three straight in the Bundesliga since 2014. Included in the post-September slump are two 1-1 draws with APOEL in the Champions League, which have all but knocked Dortmund out of the running for a spot in the knockout rounds.
The seat of BVB coach Peter Bosz is heating up faster than the global climate. He wasn’t done any favors when Christian Pulisic had to pull out of Friday’s match with muscular problems and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was dropped from the lineup for going to Barcelona showing up late to training.
But hey, at least his charges are playing together!
The match winner, scored in the 51st minute, also showed some inspiring teamwork from Dortmund. Both Dan-Axel Zagadou (a member of the all-name team if ever there was one) and Burki getting nutmegged by the shot of 19-year-old Josip Brekalo. It was Brekalo’s first career Bundesliga goal.
Dortmund’s lone goal can with some interesting interplay as well. Awarded a penalty of a well-spotted hand ball in the box, André Schürrle played his shot off the hands of Stuttgart keeper Ron-Robert Zieler (not on the all-name team) and into the path of Maximillian Philipp, who did well to volley the rebound into the back of the net.
Well played Dortmund. Tottenham players are shaking in their collective boots at the prospect of visiting Westfalenstadion on Tuesday.
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