Great result! Dortmund failed to beat Rangers at home and got four goals

Fantastic work! Borussia Dortmund welcomed Scottish Rangers to their sanctuary in the first knockout round of the Europa League, entering the match as a big favourite but ultimately having to bite a bitter defeat.

The Europa League offered several attractive duels in its very first knockout round. One of the most anticipated ones was the duel between Borussia Dortmund and Rangers FC.

The first mutual match was hosted by the Westphalian side, which was also a big favourite.

It is worth mentioning that it was an interesting duel only from the point of view that in the autumn of 2019, Dortmund was opposed by Prague Slavia, who lost both duels, while last season they managed to beat Rangers.

In addition, the Scottish team was also faced by Prague Sparta this season, who won once and fell once. From a distance, it is an interesting comparison of Czech and Scottish football, but it turned out much better for Scotland, at least this time.

Although Borussia was quite a big favourite not only in the first match but in the whole double-header, they did not confirm this role in the first match. On the contrary. At Signal Iduna Park, they suffered an embarrassing 2:4 defeat.

Were Rangers really that good? At least not until the first goal was scored. Dortmund were better, more active, more dominant, but everything changed with a penalty converted by James Tavernier in the 38th minute. Three minutes later, Alfredo Morelos increased the score and Borussia looked bad.

The Scottish side grew in confidence, could relax and slowly start to play on the break, which was most appropriate given the fast players they have. Shortly after the start of the second half, John Lundstram increased the score to 3:0.

Borussia didn’t wrap it up though, two minutes after the third goal Jude Bellingham reduced the deficit, but three minutes later Dan-Axel Zagadou scored a goal of his own. But even that didn’t deter the Westphalian club from trying to turn the game around.

Raphael Guerreiro reduced the deficit to 2:4 in the 82nd minute, but no further goals were scored. Dortmund will have their work cut out for them in Scotland.

Rangers scored a well-deserved win, played responsibly, teamwork and tactically managed the match perfectly. It was a very attractive game, as evidenced by the six goals scored.

Source: UEFA