Dortmund waste chances in stalemate after Auba suspension
January 14, 2018
Borussia Dortmund 0 - 0 Wolfsburg
Borussia Dortmund missed the chance to go second after a host of missed opportunities begged inevitable questions about the missing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, suspended by the club pre-match for missing a team meeting.
Alexander Isak was given a full Bundesliga debut in his place, with English teen Jadon Sancho also handed a first league start for Dortmund. Both struck the post but it was Andriy Yarmolenko's miss that will live longest in the memory, the Ukrainian blazing over from eight yards out as BVB laid siege to the Wolfsburg goal in the second half.
Wolfsburg were largely content to sit back and absorb the pressure, though Dortmund keeper Roman Bürki was forced in to smart saves by Daniel Didavi and debutant Renato Steffen either side of the break. The Wolves stay 12th after their 11th draw from 18 Bundesliga games - they've lost the joint 2nd least games in the league.
Dortmund's failure to compensate for the self-imposed absence of their star striker will inevitably raise the argument of whether he should be kept, with plenty of sides in China and Europe reportedly keen on the prolific Gabonese forward.
In the short term, this entertaining draw means Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig were the only sides to take three points this weekend.
As it happened
FULL TIME: Somewhat unbelievably it ends goalless.
90' -- Two minutes of added time.
89' -- Dahoud has space to pick a pass just outside the box but hits a green and white shirt. Time running out fast.
86' -- Unbelieveable. Casteels comes charging out of his area to pick up a through ball, makes the first tackle and then goes to ground to make a second. Sahin tries to lob in to the empty net but can't land it.
82' -- A cross from the right falls at the feet of Sancho. He takes a touch and lashes wildly with the tight, but it's deflected over before the corner is wasted. It's staggering that this game is still 0-0.
81' -- Origi is fouled on the edge of the box. Malli and Arnold over the free kick. Eventually Arnold hits a tame one straight at the keeper.
79' -- Schürrle takes a pot shot from the edge of the box and it whistles past the post.
77' -- Almost a dream start for Steffen, who lets fly from distance. It's heading in but Bürki tips it over the bar. The corner comes to nothing. Dortmund make their last sub - Yarmelenko removed in place of Sahin. Could his miss define this match?
72' -- Schürrle, on for Isak, breaks free but is halted in his tracks. He wants a free kick but doesn't get one.
66' -- Substitute Renato Steffen, on for Daniel Didavi, almost gets his head to a dangerous Divock Origi cross. Incidentally, Steffen becomes the 6,000th Bundesliga player in history.
61' -- Dortmund pin Wolfsburg back for a couple of minutes but can't work a proper sight at goal.
58' -- Origi almost nicks one for Wolfsburg. The Belgian ran on to Guilavogui's through ball but didn't quite have enough space to lift it over Bürki, who blocked with his body.
56' -- Substitution for Dortmund, who bring on Dahoud for Götze.
53' -- How are Dortmund not ahead? This time it's Kagawa on the right, he crosses low to Sancho who strikes the outside of the post. It was a tight angle but it's another chance missed.
52' -- Piszczek again has space on the overlap and again fails to put in a decent ball.
48' -- Shocking miss! Isak gets free down the left and finds Götze, who helps it across to Yarmolenko. The Ukrainian is unchallenged, the ball bounces nicely and he sidefoots over from eight yards out.
47' -- Dortmund start on the front foot, Piszczek gets free down the right again but pulls it behind everyone.
46' -- We're back underway at Signal Iduna Park.
HALF TIME: An entertaining half ends goalless. Dortmund have had less of the ball but made much more of the running. Debutants Jadon Sancho and Alexander Isak have both had their moments, the latter striking the post, but Wolfsburg also came close through Daniel Didavi. Dortmund need a win here, both to move up in to second and to stop all the post match talk being about the absence of Aubameyang.
45' -- Dortmund clear a Wolfsburg corner and that's the half. Dortmund have been the better side but don't have the breakthrough.
42' -- Isak hits the post! A measured ball from Götze found the Swede in space. His first touch made the ball sit up a little, rushing the shot, but he managed to clip the outside of the upright. Dortmund have had their chances here, some might say they're missing a prolific striker...
40' -- Almost brilliant from Sancho. The young English talent bamboozles Verhaegh with a series of stepovers but his dinked ball to Kagawa is slightly overhit.
37' -- Bürki is called in to action for the first time, blocking Didavi's close range effort with a combination of foot and arm. Perhaps a touch fortunate but a decent stop.
34' -- Sancho, who has looked at home so far, again shows decent footwork before setting Toljan off down the right. But the full back is indecisive and does nothing with it.
31' -- Dortmund almost take advantage of a rare Wolfsburg attack and break through Kagawa. The Japanese playmaker feeds Yarmolenko who dallies a little and slices in to the side netting.
27' -- A bit of a lull in proceedings here. Wolfsburg look happy to sit back and it's up to Dortmund to break them down.
22' -- Now the chances are coming thick and fast. Sancho releases Piszczek with some lovely footwork. His low cross falls to Yarmolenko who dangles a leg and shins it wide. Bad miss that. It came quickly but he was only a couple of yards out.
20' -- Isak gets the faintest glance on a cross with his head and it almost falls to Sancho, but the angle is too tight.
19' -- Isak races on to a long through ball but can't get near it. Dortmund having a lot of the ball right now but not much in the way of end product.
14' -- A good spell of possession for Dortmund ends with Piszczek overlapping on the right, but his low cross is easily cleared.
11' -- Wolfsburg's turn for a corner now, but it's drastically overhit.
8' -- Kagawa finds Yarmolenko in acres of space but the ball is just behind him and Wolfsburg defenders eventually get back to snuff out the threat. Piszczek then has a stab with his left after the corner is cleared but it's straight at the keeper.
5' -- Isak and Sancho have both seen a little of the ball early on. The pair had a combined 29 minutes of Bundesliga action before today.
2' -- Yarmolenko involved early and eventually digs out a cross, which is easily claimed by Casteels.
1' -- And we're off!
17:40
As well as Sancho, there's a first Bundesliga start for Swedish teenager Alexander Isak, who will replace Aubameyang up top. It seems Aubameyang left training early yesterday and failed to attend Dortmund's team meeting.
"Team spirit is very important to us," BVB coach Peter Stöger told Sky before the game. "We had an important meeting and [Aubameyang] missed it. If he's not focused, there have to be consequences."
There must be big questions over whether BVB can keep hold of him in this transfer window, or even if they want to. Either way, with a lack of specialist back up strikers, today is a big chance for Isak.
17:30
After Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke and Borussia Mönchengladbach all failed to pick up three points this weekend, Dortmund's chance to go second on the table looked like being the focus of this one. But a tweet from the club's account just an hour before kick off broke the news that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has once again been suspended by the club for "disciplinary reasons."
The Gabonese striker has been the subject of interest from two Chinese clubs, with European outfits also sniffing around. Sunday's supension comes after he was left out of the matchday squad for BVB's clash with Stuttgart in November, after filming a video on club property without permission.
Even without their star striker, Dortmund should fancy their chances against a Wolfsburg side who have won just three league games this season. They hand a first league start to English teenager Jadon Sancho. Here's how the sides line up: