Match Analysis: Dortmund Edge Closer by Ending Schalke Streak

WhoScored’s regular weekly look at those significant streaks that have come to an end across Europe’s top five leagues sees us look at the Bundesliga and La Liga. In Germany, Dortmund ended bitter rivals Schalke’s ten-match unbeaten home run to make a huge step towards the title, while over in Spain, Atletico Madrid picked up three points away from home for the first time in seven attempts in a narrow win at Rayo Vallecano.

Huntelaar’s Off-Day Proves Costly For Schalke - Match Report

Schalke were anything but underdogs going into Saturday’s home derby with league leaders Dortmund. The hosts had dropped just two points in their last ten matches at the Veltins-Arena in a run that had taken them to third place in the Bundesliga, but the visitors produced a battling performance to walk away with the three points.

Jürgen Klopp’s side dominated the match, with 55% possession – more than their average 53.5% on the road. Ilkay Gundogan, sitting in the visitors’ double pivot, made the most passes (64) and also created a couple of goalscoring opportunities, with 2 key passes over the 90 minutes. As the Player Position map shows, Gundogan (21) foraged forward frequently, while his partner in defensive midfield, Sven Bender (22), sat in front of the back-four.

For Schalke, Christian Fuchs proved to be the most creative player. The left-back made 6 key passes – three times more than any other player on the pitch – and produced 12 crosses, lending weight to the home side’s attacking forays.

Defensively, Dortmund were again superior, with 28 tackles to Schalke’s 16. With the home side using the right wing 49% of the time in order to utilise the talents of Jefferson Farfan, so it’s no surprise to see Dortmund’s left flank was kept busy. Left-back Marcel Schmelzer made 4 tackles and 4 interceptions and was aided by left winger Kevin Großkreutz, who made 6 tackles and 3 interceptions, as Klopp’s side kept Farfan at bay.

Indeed, most of the play seemed to be down one side of the pitch; with Dortmund attacking down their left flank 42% of the time, Schalke right-back Atsuto Uchida made 2 tackles, 9 interceptions and 3 blocked shots, though as the Player Position map shows, Uchida (22) pushed forward in order to support Farfan (19), offering Dortmund plenty of space to attack.

Although Dortmund had the majority of possession and made the most tackles, it was Schalke who managed the most goal attempts. The home side had 16 shots compared to their rivals’ 14 but, despite 75% of their efforts coming inside the penalty box, they managed just 4 shots on target to Dortmund’s 6.

Of all people, it was Jan Klaas-Huntelaar who let the home side down. Second top goalscorer in Germany’s top-flight with 24 goals so far, the Dutchman had 5 chances but was woefully inaccurate, failing to muster a single effort on target, never mind hit the back of the net. Farfan netted with his only effort in the match, giving the hosts an early ninth minute lead but Dortmund’s resilience shone through.

Dortmund’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski, had a similar off day to Huntelaar – all 3 of his shots were off target – but thankfully for the visitors, goals from man of the match Lukasz Piszczek and second-half substitute Sebastian Kehl more than made amends, as the pair helped clinch a crucial 2-1 victory. A win against your nearest rivals is always something to celebrate but Dortmund’s day got even better later on, as Bayern Munich could only manage a draw at home to Mainz 05. Klopp’s side now have an 8 point lead over Jupp Heynckes’ men and, with just three games remaining, could retain their title next Saturday evening in a home clash with MGladbach.

Clinical Falcao Seals the Points for Atletico - Match Report

Despite the wealth of talent in the Atletico first-team ranks, Rayo Vallecano were perhaps the favourites for Sunday evening’s showdown. Rayo had triumphed in three of their last four home matches, while Atletico had picked up just three points in their previous six away games. Indeed, the visitors had been dreadful on their travels all season with just two wins on the road but, thanks to summer signing Falcao, they managed to prevail.

Rayo slightly edged the possession, with 53% of the ball. Attacking down their left flank 43% of the time, Roberto Trashorras – playing on the left of the double pivot – made more passes (52) and created more goalscoring opportunities (3 key passes) than any other player on the pitch. Trashorras was particularly poor in his distribution, however, with just a 53% pass accuracy.

As the Player Position map show, Trashorras (17) pushed forward, meaning left-back José Casado (3) sat deeper. Although Casado saw plenty of the ball, making 50 passes, he failed to register a single cross, instead playing 18 long balls.

For Atletico, Falcao and Diego were the main creators, with 2 key passes apiece. While Diego made the most passes (42), Falcao managed just 13 in his lone role up front but still managed to create goalscoring opportunities.

Rayo were superior in the tackle, too, making a total of 27 to the visitors’ 21. Again, Casado and Trashorras were heavily involved, making 7 and 5 tackles respectively to halt the Atletico attacks.

Juanfran stood out for the away side; the right-back made 3 tackles, 4 interceptions and 6 clearances, while centre midfielders Mario Suarez and Tiago both showed plenty of resilience in the visitors’ double-pivot. Suarez made 4 tackles, a couple of interceptions and blocked 2 shots, while Tiago chipped in with 3 tackles and 3 interceptions.

When it came to shots on goal, Rayo – once again – were superior. They managed 12 shots to Atletico’s 9, though a look at the Shot Zones shows both sides tended to shoot from distance. Rayo fired 58% of their efforts from outside the penalty box, with Atletico just behind with 56%.

As a result, few attempts were on target; the hosts had 3, while the visitors managed 4. With some wayward shooting from both sides, it was left to Falcao to demonstrate his predatory instincts. The third-top scorer in La Liga behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi needed just a single shot to fire his side to victory, grabbing his 22nd goal of the season and the WhoScored man of the match award, with a rating of 7.97.