No word from Eddie Howe, with TNT Sports flipping immediately to the Atletico Madrid v Celtic game. (You can follow that with John Brewin here.) But never mind! Jonathan Liew was in Dortmund and his report is in. Here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Dortmund go top of Group F, at least for a couple of hours. Milan host PSG in tonight’s other game. Newcastle meanwhile remain in third spot, but they’re now in danger of losing touch with the top two. Next up: a trip to Paris, then Milan turn up at St James’ Park. The Toon have plenty of work to do if they’re to make it to the knockout stage; Europa League participation is also far from certain. But they did beat PSG 4-1 at home, after all, so nobody will be giving up the ghost just yet.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borussia Dortmund | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | PSG | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | AC Milan | 3 | -3 | 2 |
FULL TIME: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Newcastle United
For the second time in as many weeks, Dortmund have too much nous for a callow Newcastle. Qualification for the knockouts will be an uphill battle for Eddie Howe’s men now.
Updated
90 min +2: … Brandt breaks yet again, only to run into bother quickly.
90 min +1: Livramento finds space down the left and attempts to float a chip over Kobel from the tightest of angles. Corner, from which …
90 min: There will be three added minutes. “Newcastle bring on Wiley (17, no CL experience). Dortmund sub in Reus (34, Dortmund’s all time CL goalscorer),” writes Joe Pearson. “And that’s all you need to know.”
89 min: Moukoko hassles Livramento down the right but once again the young Newcastle full-back shows his class to ensure there’s no way through. “There’s been much to praise about Dortmund’s performance, but perhaps most impressive has been their patience,” writes Kári Tulinius. “They’ve never looked frazzled against Newcastle, which can’t be said about many teams who’ve faced the Magpies.”
87 min: Fullkrug, his work thus done in more ways than one, departs for Moukoko.
86 min: Brandt leads Dortmund on a three-against-two. He looks for Fullkrug in the middle, but his cross is poor and easily cleared by Lascelles. Speaking of Fullkrug, and in response to Peter Oh’s latest zinger (65 min), here’s Marc Haemmerling: “‘Krug’ in German means ‘mug’ or ‘jug’. So BVB have definitely reason to see the mug (half) Füll again.”
84 min: Newcastle look visibly deflated. Suddenly their play is ragged. The home fans are giving it plenty, a celebration that includes plenty of yellow ticker-tape.
82 min: Lewis Miley, 17, comes on for his European debut. Willock makes way.
81 min: Reus comes on for Adeyemi. Newcastle throw men forward, as they have to, and Dortmund counter again. Ryerson attacks fast down the inside-left channel, shimmies infield, and sends a weak bobbler through to Pope.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Newcastle United (Brandt 79)
Trippier’s free kick is awful. He fails to beat the first man. Dortmund clear their lines, and suddenly one long punt sends Brandt and Sabitzer away on a two-on-one attack! Livramento tries his best to hold Brandt up, but he’s caught between a rock and a hard place. Brandt feints to make some space down the left flank, then shoots low and hard, across Pope and into the bottom right. What a clinical counter! What a finish! What bother Newcastle are in now.
Updated
78 min: Willock and Almiron double up to attack down the left wing. Hummels earns a roar from the Yellow Wall with a crunching tackle on the former; Adeyemi then carelessly clanks into the latter to concede a free kick. Chance for Trippier to whip one into the box.
77 min: More space for Brandt out left. He saunters past Trippier before hitting a diagonal shot-cum-cross that sails well wide of the right-hand post.
75 min: Space for Brandt down the left. He’s got Adeyemi and Fullkrug in the middle, free, but slams his cross into the nearest green shirt. Careless. Newcastle were exposed there.
73 min: Pope is fine to continue. When the game restarts, Livramento and Adeyemi tussle down the Dortmund right. The latter wants a free kick on the edge of the box when the pair fall over; the referee simply waves play on. Livramento is having a fine game.
72 min: Ah, there was no need for the written instructions, because Pope is down with a sore leg, so as he gets treatment, Eddie Howe is able to gather the rest of his men to issue his orders verbally.
71 min: … Pope claim and release the pressure on Newcastle. Meanwhile Joelinton is handed a note from the bench. Some tactical instruction, I’ll be bound.
70 min: Brandt hits the corner long. Hummels rises on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box but his header is deflected wide left by that man Livramento. From that corner, delivered from the left by Brandt, Nmecha can’t quite guide an effort on target. But it’s another corner, which sees …
69 min: Adeyemi drops a shoulder and looks to skin Livramento down the right. Livramento has pace to burn himself and sticks to his man, conceding a corner rather than an opportunity to shoot.
67 min: Dortmund send a speculative long ball down the right. Pope comes out to the edge of his box to claim, only to hesitate with Brandt in the immediate environs. Lascelles pops up between the two to hook clear and save his keeper’s blushes.
65 min: Joelinton clips Adeyemi to the floor out on the right and it’s a free kick. A chance to load the box. Brandt delivers; Pope claims. “Dortmund fans who were pessimistic after the weekend drubbing in The Harry Kane Show have reason to see the glass as half Füll again.” Peter Oh, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the sausages/gold bars.
63 min: Willock sends a soft effort straight at Kobel from the edge of the box. If there’s to be another goal, good luck accurately predicting which team gets it. “According to German media, those balls were thrown at halftime in protest to the upcoming changes to the Champions League next season,” reports Vafa Ghazi.
62 min: … nothing comes. Brandt plays it short, the ball disappearing off down a cul-de-sac.
61 min: Brandt swings it in. Schar half clears. The ball’s worked down the left and pulled back for Adeyemi, who is preparing to shoot from 12 yards when Guimaraes arrives from behind to take it off his toe and hoick out for a corner, from which …
60 min: Lascelles comes crashing into the back of Fullkrug and this is a free kick in a central position, 30 yards out.
58 min: Brandt sends a curler towards the bottom left. Pope fingertips around the post brilliantly, but doesn’t get the credit for the save because the referee and linesman award Newcastle a goal kick. Like Pope will care about that.
57 min: That was one hell of a cross by Livramento, who is quickly establishing a reputation as a serious player. Joelinton would have felt the presence of Ozcan just behind him, but even so, he really should have tucked that one away.
56 min: Newcastle should be level. Livramento swings a glorious cross in from the right flank. Joelinton stoops near the far stick, six yards out, only to steer his downward header wide when it was surely easier to score. What a chance!
Updated
55 min: Previous to that protest, most of Dortmund’s best attacks on Newcastle had come from the right.
53 min: … so it turns out that those cardboard containers were in fact representations of gold bars, and the Yellow Wall has displayed a banner which argues that Newcastle are more interested in money than football itself.
51 min: Willock nearly gets clear down the left but Adeyemi displays defensive chops by getting back to forcefully step in the way and shepherd the ball out for a goal kick.
50 min: Almiron curls towards the bottom left. Wide. Then up the other end, Brandt tries for the bottom right. Pope turns the shot around for a corner, from which nothing comes. A pretty lively start to the second half, with Newcastle in Go For It mode. They don’t really have any other option.
48 min: A pause as Kobel’s box is littered with cardboard sausage containers and a couple of tennis balls. Once the area is cleared, Newcastle come at Dortmund, and come at them hard: Livramento is sent scampering into space by Schar’s clever wedge down the right. He crosses low. There are a couple of green shirts waiting to slam home, but Kobel gets down to fingertip away from them, and Dortmund clean up again.
47 min: Nmecha releases Adeyemi down the Dortmund right. Adeyemi cuts infield and has the opportunity to shoot or find Sabitzer free in the box on the left. He hesitates. Schar holds him up impressively, and though Adeyemi eventually pulls the trigger, the ball deflects harmlessly through to Pope.
Newcastle get the second half started, having made two changes. Hall and Wilson make way for Gordon and Almiron.
Half-time entertainment.
HALF TIME: Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Newcastle United
One minute of added time. One last chance for Newcastle as Trippier sends a free kick long and into the Dortmund box. The hosts clear and counter, but Sabitzer can only send a weak cross into the Newcastle area and that’s that. Dortmund lead, but Newcastle have come back at them impressively, even if Kobel hasn’t had any serious work to do.
45 min: Trippier sends the corner long. Lascelles is free on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box and heads across for Joelinton, who heads towards the top left but can’t get enough power on the effort to beat Kobel. Easy for the keeper.
44 min: Longstaff and Livramento combine briskly down the right and win another corner. Trippier wanders across to take.
43 min: Lascelles tries a long pass down the middle, looking for Longstaff, but there’s too much juice on the ball. Kobel comes out to claim.
41 min: Nmecha clatters into Guimaraes down the Newcastle right. A chance for Trippier to swing a free kick into the mixer … but instead he unveils another training-ground effort, and a long-range one-two with Willock doesn’t come off as planned. Goal kick.
39 min: A short sequence of garden-variety free kicks go Newcastle’s way in the middle of the park. More irritated whistles. Dortmund are leading, but the home fans know their team are now in a game.
37 min: Joelinton very nearly brings down a simple long pass down the middle. An inch away from the ball sticking to his boot. He’d have been through on goal. Possibly offside … but possibly not. More promise for Newcastle.
36 min: … but a second goal would really put Newcastle in bother. Adeyemi finds Sule on the right. Sule rolls across the face of goal for Sabitzer, who leans back and sidefoots over from the edge of the D.
34 min: A few frustrated whistles as Brandt runs down a cul-de-sac when a promising counter fails to develop. Guimaraes breaks it up with authority; Newcastle look much improved since going behind, as though there’s nothing to lose now. Much easier to go for it than sitting back.
32 min: Guimaraes shovels a pass down the right for Livramento, who wins a corner. Trippier swings it in. Schar wins a header ten yards out, but there’s no power in his goalward effort and that’s an easy snaffle for Kobel.
30 min: … but Newcastle have responded fairly well to conceding. They play some nerve-settling possession stuff in the midfield, gathering themselves after that blow.
28 min: Schlotterbeck aims long in an attempt to release Adeyemi down the right touchline. Too long. Adeyemi can’t control and the referee blows for a hand ball. Dortmund are clearly targeting Hall down this right flank.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Newcastle United (Füllkrug 26)
A strange goal, this. Dortmund barrel down the middle of the park, en masse. Adeyemi, Fullkrug and Sabitzer juggle the ball while never quite being in control. But Newcastle are all over the shop and fail to clear when presented with a couple of chances. Finally the ball’s slipped to Sabitzer on the right. Sabitzer enters the box and fires a low cross towards Füllkrug, who slams home from six yards.
Updated
24 min: Ryerson and Adeyemi combine down the left, the latter pulling back in the hope of finding Brandt on the edge of the D. Wilson is on point to intercept and clear. Newcastle have done well to quieten Dortmund down a bit.
22 min: A rare attack for Newcastle, as Willock looks long for Wilson with a cross from the left. Too much on the ball. Goal kick. But the move gives Newcastle succour, and Wilson is soon coming again down the right. His run wins a corner off Schlotterbeck. Trippier and Hall exchange cleverly from close range, but when the former’s sent into space long the byline, he fails to find anyone in green in the middle with his low cross. Nicely worked routine, though.
20 min: Brandt has the opportunity to send Sabitzer into acres of space down the right, but his pass is uncharacteristically careless, clanking straight at Lascelles. Newcastle fortunate that one didn’t come off; Sabitzer would have been sent clear.
Updated
18 min: Guimaraes looks for Trippier out on the right with a diagonal spray, but the ball flies straight into the stand. Trippier acknowledges the pass anyway, albeit with a frown. Newcastle are struggling to get out of their own half right now.
16 min: Sule and Sabitzer combine cutely down the inside-right channel. They cut back for Adeyemi, who sends a low diagonal screamer towards the bottom left. Pope parries well again; his defenders deal with the rebound again. Newcastle are suddenly hanging on a bit here.
15 min: Brandt is everywhere. Now he sets Adeyemi on the run down the right. Hall comes across and very carefully blocks his way. That’s decent defending, especially as he’s now tottering along the old disciplinary tightrope after that early yellow.
13 min: Dortmund stream down the middle of the park, some nice one-touch stuff. Finally Brandt cushions a pass into the road of Füllkrug, who pearls a shot towards the bottom left. Pope parries confidently and Newcastle clear the rebound.
11 min: Brandt takes the resulting free kick, swinging it in from the right. Hall compounds his error by slicing a clearance backwards and over the bar. Corner. Brandt to take this set piece as well. Joelinton clears, just after the ball brushes Longstaff’s arm. Dortmund claims but come off it. Neither referee nor VAR shows any interest, quite rightly so. Longstaff’s arm was right by his side.
9 min: Füllkrug barges his way down the right, chasing Brandt’s pass, and looks to have the beating of Hall. The young full-back panics, tugs the striker back, and that’s a booking that’ll make his evening’s work even harder.
8 min: Schlotterbeck plays a cute pass across the face of his own box. Too cute, really, and it nearly allows the hard-pressing Livramento to steal the ball. Not quite, but that was an unnecessary chance taken by Schlotterbeck and so nearly a gift for the Newcastle youngster.
7 min: Füllkrug spins Lascelles with ease under a high ball in the centre circle, and feeds Adeyemi, who in turn finds Brandt on the overlap down the inside-right channel. Brandt blasts wildly over the bar from the edge of the box. Newcastle were too easily turned around there.
6 min: Some head tennis in the Newcastle box, after which Trippier clears. Newcastle will be happy enough with this start.
5 min: Nmecha slips Adeyemi into space down the right, the latter winning a corner off Hall. Brandt to take.
4 min: Livramento backs himself in a foot race with Ryerson down the right and nearly wins it. The Dortmund full back gets to the ball just in time to clear. One Newcastle throw leads to another, then Livramento and Trippier confuse each other and the chance to keep Dortmund pinned back in the final third is gone.
2 min: Willock stays down for a worrying few seconds, Hummels having caught him on the ankle. Oh no, not yet another injury? But after a tense beat, he springs back up and is good to go. Eddie Howe breathes again.
1 min: The hosts are immediately on the front foot, Sabitzer failing to control on the edge of the Newcastle box. The visitors then counter, Willock blazing up the left wing only to be stopped unceremoniously by Hummels. A bright start.
News at 545. Dortmund get the ball rolling.
The teams are out! Borussia Dortmund in their famous yellow and black; Newcastle in cheeky second-choice green. A rare old atmosphere at the Westfalenstadion, the denizens of the Yellow Wall doing their thing; the 3,800 Toon fans lost amid an 80,000-strong attendance doing their best. We’ll be off once Uefa have trampled over George Frideric Handel’s grave.
Pre-match postbag. “Eddie Howe has dusted off a tribute the old WM formation with his use of 15 inverted full-backs in the starting XI. Anyway, all of these injuries have simply accelerated the inevitable process of Eddie going ‘full Pep’ and playing an unnecessarily complex system in a critical European fixture” – Chris Paraskevas
“James Corden gets everywhere, doesn’t he” – Shaun Tooze
Updated
Newcastle can’t really afford a defeat tonight. Should they lose this evening, they’d be properly up against it, three points behind Dortmund, who would have the head-to-head decider in their back pocket, and with a trip to PSG to negotiate next. Dortmund meanwhile are coming off the back of a Harry Kane-inspired shellacking in Der Klassiker and will be desperate for a confidence-restoring bounce-back victory. So it won’t be easy … but then nothing is in the Champions League.
Eddie Howe speaks to TNT Sports. “We hope the team performs really well … it’s got a good mix of experience, youth and the athleticism we need to do well in this game … we believe in the team, we have some very good players on the pitch … we’re in good form, confidence should be high … you can see already what this game will be like in terms of atmosphere and dealing with that is going to be a big thing for us … a couple of the choices they have made have surprised us, possibly we’ve done the same to them.”
Matt Smith does his best to get some idea of how the Toon boss will set up his youthful and cobbled-together XI, asking twice, but Howe’s not budging. “I don’t want to tell you,” he smiles, albeit with a slight just-try-asking-me-a-third-time frost around the teeth.
Plenty of changes to both starting XIs from the reverse fixture at St James’ Park a fortnight ago. Borussia Dortmund make five changes: Julian Brandt, Niklas Süle, Julian Ryerson, Salih Özcan and Karim Adeyemi replace Marco Reus, Donyell Malen, Marius Wolf and Ramy Bensebaini, all of whom drop to the bench, and the injured Emre Can.
Newcastle make four changes to the team they sent out for that 1-0 defeat. Alexander Isak and Dan Burn are both injured, while Antony Gordon and Miguel Almirón drop to the bench. Stepping up: Callum Wilson, Joe Willock, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall. Newcastle’s injury crisis is such that they’ve only named eight subs, including 21-year-old midfielder Lucas de Bolle and 18-year-old striker Ben Parkinson, plus two goalies in Martin Dubravka and Loris Karius.
The teams
Borussia Dortmund: Kobel, Sule, Hummels, Schlotterbeck, Ryerson, Sabitzer, Ozcan, Brandt, Nmecha, Adeyemi, Fullkrug.
Subs: Bensebaini, Reyna, Haller, Reus, Wolf, Moukoko, Malen, Meyer, Laurenz Lotka, Blank, Bynoe-Gittens.
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Lascelles, Schar, Hall, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Livramento, Wilson, Joelinton.
Subs: Dubravka, Dummett, Gordon, Karius, Almiron, Parkinson, Miley, De Bolle.
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez (Spain).
Preamble
When these teams met at St James’ Park a fortnight ago, this happened …
… which meant the Group F table suddenly looked very tight …
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSG | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | AC Milan | 3 | -3 | 2 |
… and so Newcastle could really do with some sort of result at the Westfalenstadion this evening, in order to stay in touch with the top two. Kick off is at 5.45pm GMT. It’s on!
