Germany's Borussia Dortmund reached their peak Bundesliga form after beating visiting team Freiburg 3-0 in the early match of round 21.
German striker Niclas Fullkrug shined with the goal that sealed the 3-0 win, along with two assists for Donyell Malen to score. This striker pair was naturally rated the highest in the match, with 8.7 and 9.4 points respectively, according to Whoscored . The home team also created an overwhelming game, finishing nearly three times as many shots as the visitors (17 compared to 6).
Striker Donyell Malen celebrates his goal in Dortmund's win over Freiburg at Signal Iduna Park, round 21 of the Bundesliga on the evening of February 9, 2024. Photo: Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund have remained unbeaten since the start of 2024, with four wins and one draw. Only leaders Bayer Leverkusen have been in as good a form as Edin Terzic's side. These results have given Dortmund the advantage over Leipzig in the race for the Bundesliga top four. The form of the strikers has helped Dortmund soar, with Fullkrug scoring six goals in his last four games, while Malen has also contributed four.
It was these two strikers who combined to open the scoring in the 16th minute. Right-back Julian Ryerson crossed the ball into the penalty area for Fullkrug to control and lay it off for Malen to shoot into the top corner. At the end of the first half, Fullkrug counterattacked from midfield to the edge of the penalty area, then passed to the right for Malen to shoot low diagonally from about 15 meters away, making the score 2-0.
Fullkrug, 31, stands 1.89m tall and rose to prominence with Werder Bremen, winning the Bundesliga Golden Boot last season with 16 goals. The striker is considered a late bloomer, having only been called up to the German national team in 2022, but has already scored 10 goals in 13 international matches. Malen, 25, scored against Vietnam in Dortmund's 1-2 defeat at My Dinh on November 30, 2022.
Victory was assured for Dortmund against Freiburg, when on-loan Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen crossed for Fullkrug to head into the far corner in the 87th minute. Shortly afterwards, Man Utd striker Jadon Sancho was brought on for Marco Reus, but did not get much of a chance to show his ability.
In the next match, Dortmund will visit Wolfsburg on February 17, before playing in the Champions League round of 16 against PSV Eindhoven.
Xuan Binh
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