Slavia Prague 0-2 Borussia Dortmund: Hakimi double drags BVB to victory

Achraf Hakimi scored a goal in each half to seal an unconvincing win for Borussia Dortmund over Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Published : Oct 03, 2019 00:55 IST

Achraf Hakimi celebrates after scoring against Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
Achraf Hakimi celebrates after scoring against Slavia Prague in the Champions League.
lightbox-info

Achraf Hakimi celebrates after scoring against Slavia Prague in the Champions League.

Borussia Dortmund claimed its first win of the UEFA Champions League group stage this season after battling to a 2-0 victory away to Slavia Prague.

Achraf Hakimi struck in each half to settle a scrappy encounter in the Czech Republic and move Dortmund top of Group F ahead of Barcelona's meeting with Inter.

RELATED| MATCH CENTRE

The brilliance of Marc-Andre ter Stegen mostly kept Dortmund frustrated against Barca in its opening match, but Wednesday's performance was more in keeping with recent Bundesliga draws with Eintracht Frankfurt and Werder Bremen, in which it surrendered leads to draw 2-2.

Jadon Sancho tested Ondrej Kolar within two minutes of kick-off as Dortmund made a bright start in front of Slavia fans bedecked in red and white rain ponchos to create an intimidating sight.

They were silenced 10 minutes before the break, though, when Achraf started a counter-attack from his own box, combined with Julian Brandt and, having skipped away from goalkeeper and covering defenders, fired high into the Slavia net.

READ| Juventus 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen: Higuain stars as Bianconeri coast

Sancho's heavy touch made a mess of a one-on-one after the restart, as Dortmund's performance soon descended into the erratic, with one particularly careless Marco Reus clearance giving Petr Sevcik a chance he should have done better with.

Achraf was denied by Kolar on the break as Slavia pushed for an equaliser, but the Real Madrid loanee made no mistake with his next opening, firing between the legs of the keeper with his left foot with barely a minute of normal time left.

What does it mean? Dortmund unconvincing but on track for next round

The display will likely not please head coach Lucien Favre, but it was enough to move Dortmund to four points from two games and give it a solid platform from which to aim for the last 16.

Tougher tests await with two meetings with Inter and a trip to Camp Nou, so it will likely return to Germany with a sense of relief, as well as an eagerness to improve.

ALSO READ| Real Madrid 2-2 Club Brugge: Ramos, Casemiro save host after first-half horror show

Achraf a surprising livewire

Achraf has always been a menace going forward, but he was Dortmund's most dangerous player here in an attacking role. His goals were expertly taken, and he could have had a hat-trick were it not for Kolar.

BVB's slack finishing cannot continue

Sancho wasted two openings and Reus could not reach a low cross for a tap-in, meaning Dortmund was far less comfortable than it might have been in the second half. It will have to be more clinical going forward.

What's next?

Dortmund heads to Inter on matchday three, while Slavia hosts Barcelona.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment