Borussia Dortmund were dumped out of the Europa League on Thursday by FC Salzburg in a scoreless draw. After trailing 2-1 from the home leg, the Black and Yellows had to produce two goals but came up with zilch while inviting the Austrian league leaders to several scoring chances.
BVB, who dropped to the Europa League by finishing third in a group with Real Madrid, Tottenham and APOEL, will end their international campaign by only recording one win out of 10 games. After yet another embarrassing display by the Ruhr side, the European burden has finally been lifted and they can focus on finishing in the Champions League spots in the Bundesliga to try again in the 2018-19 season.
Positives
Mahmoud Dahoud showed yet another encouraging performance in holding midfield after also doing so against RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt. For the 22-year-old, who joined BVB at the start of the season from Borussia Monchengladbach, this is the best patch of form in a yellow shirt. A player that creates moments by himself is vital for a team that doesn't have the means to create space for itself by either positioning or runs.
Negatives
If it wasn't for the official UEFA branding that covered the regular sponsors at the Red Bull Arena, one could have thought this was a preseason friendly for the Black and Yellows. The visitors gave the impression they had completed a straining training session just before kickoff. The lack of chemistry on the field only added to that impression. A tame shot from Michy Batshuayi was the only effort BVB produced in the first half. Salzburg only had themselves to blame for not killing the tie for good before the break as they failed to pounce on countless rookie mistakes by Gonzalo Castro, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Dan-Axel Zagadou.
Manager rating out of 10
2 -- It will be hard for Peter Stoger to put lipstick on that pig.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Roman Burki, 7 -- Made two excellent saves in the first half against Hee-Chang Hwang and Xaver Schlager to keep his team in the tie.
DF Lukasz Piszczek, 6 -- Battled hard but his crosses into the box were not an effective measure to unlock Salzburg's defence.
DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos, 2 -- The Greek defender showed several grotesque errors in the game. Manchester United are interested in the centre-back, according to reports, but the scouts may have scratched his name off their list on Thursday.
DF Dan-Axel Zagadou, 3 -- The 18-year-old made a surprise start. Unfortunately, a few errors might make his next start a surprise as well.
DF Marcel Schmelzer, 5 -- It's never a good sign when the left-back registers the best chance of the game.
MF Gonzalo Castro, 3 -- Castro's pressing resistance was bitterly exposed by Salzburg. The midfielder even felt the pressure when none was there.
MF Mahmoud Dahoud, 7 -- The only guy with a plan in a band of headless chickens. When Dortmund created danger, it more often than not went through the feet of the youngster.
MF Marco Reus, 3 -- After an uninspired first half, Reus was subbed off. It, however, equaled Stoger throwing in the towel.
MF Mario Gotze, 3 -- Similar to Reus, Gotze stayed in the catacombs after 45 minutes.
MF Andre Schurrle, 2 -- A symphony of heavy touches, Schurrle was rendered completely ineffective.
FW Michy Batshuayi, 5 -- Could help his team with his hold-up play and was an asset in the build-up, but did not receive the service to really threaten the goal
Substitutes
MF Maximilian Philipp, 4 -- A shot from range from Philipp was one of the few registered chances in the second half.
FW Alexander Isak, 5 -- The young Swede was at the end of BVB's biggest chance in the second half but was snuffed out by goalkeeper Alexander Walke. Isak, however, can take heart from his 45-minute display as he made a lot out of very little.
MF Raphael Guerreiro, 4 -- Replaced a hapless Castro after the hour mark after coming back from injury but couldn't improve his team in the final 30.