We are entering the final moments of normal time now, and it does not seem there will be too much stoppage time at the end of this game and, to affirm that thought, the fourth official lifts up the board to indicate a minimum of two minutes to be added on at the end of this game, which has been all-but over since Durm netted Dortmund’s second.
87'
Massive news in now from the Allianz Arena, where Mainz have re-taken their lead against Bayern! As it stands, Dortmund are closing the gap to five points between themselves and the champions, which puts even more emphasis on the importance of Saturday’s Klassiker!
85'
S. Sirigu enters the game and replaces M. Heller.
A third and final substitution now for Darmstadt, as Marcel Heller is replaced by Sandro Sirigu.
83'
M. Leitner enters the game and replaces İ. Gündoğan.
And that substitution from the hosts is followed up by a second from Dortmund, as Tuchel takes off Ilkay Gündogan and introduces Moritz Leitner in his place.
82'
F. Platte enters the game and replaces P. Niemeyer.
Another change now for the hosts, as Peter Niemeyer makes way for Felix Platte.
81'
N. Subotić gets yellow.
A first yellow card of the game, now then, as Subotic goes into the book for a rash, late lunge on Gondorf, who had done well to intercept a sloppy pass by Weigl.
79'
Smart play now from Dortmund, as the visitors just look to manage the game without exerting themselves too much ahead of that clash with Bayern on Saturday. They work a patient move down the left to Durm, who drills in a low cross that Ramos flicks goalwards, but Mathenia is well-placed to make the stop.
76'
SAVE! Finally, a first real stop of the night from Weidenfeller. The Dortmund shot-stopper would have not had a chance of preventing either of Wagner’s chances from reaching the goal had they been on target, but he is called into action here as Rajkovic connects with Rausch’s free-kick with a header towards the centre of the goal, and the veteran goalkeeper is duly equal to it.
73'
That’s a hefty tackle by Sulu, who is perhaps lucky to escape a caution after the referee took issue with his clattering challenge on Mkhitaryan, who has certainly being in the thick of it since his introduction!
71'
WHAT A CHANCE! That should have been a third for Dortmund! Careless defending from Darmstadt allows Mkhitaryan - who has more assists to his name this season (19) in all competitions than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues - regain possession and slide through a crisp pass to Aubameyang. The Gabonese drives forward on goal at breakneck speed, but his crucial second touch is too heavy even for his pace, and that allows Mathenia to come out and make the save.
Minute
Description
69'
H. Mkhitaryan enters the game and replaces F. Passlack.
A first substitution of the game now for Dortmund, as Tuchel elects to take off Felix Passlack and introduce Henrikh Mkhitaryan. It was an impressive debut performance by the 17-year-old.
68'
ALMOST! A long ball into the Dortmund area causes the visitors’ defence some issues, with a few failed clearances resulting in the ball finding its way to Rausch. The wide midfielder tries his luck with a half-volley, but his strike skips a yard wide of the left-hand post.
67'
After a fast start to the second half, the game has hit somewhat of a lull in the last five minutes or so. Darmstadt - the joint lowest scorers in the Bundesliga - are looking to try and create something that Wagner can get on the end of, but Dortmund are marshalling them well and always present a threat on the counter with the pace of Ramos and Aubameyang.
65'
News emanating from the Allianz Arena now, and it is that Arjen Robben has equalised for Bayern Munich. Dortmund are well in control here, though that Wagner chance did show how vulnerable their defence can be at times.
63'
T. Kempe enters the game and replaces M. Vrančić.
A first substitution of the game now for either side, as the hosts introduce Tobias Kempe in place of Mario Vrančić.
60'
WHAT A MISS!!! That’s so wasteful from Wagner, who does everything right to get on the end of Vrancic’s headed knock-down, but he can only turn his effort over the crossbar from close range. What a chance that was to get the hosts back into this game!
58'
STAT FLASH - Dortmund inflicted more Bundesliga defeats on Dirk Schuster during his playing career than any other side (L6). Two of his three top-flight red cards came vs Dortmund.
55'
CLOSE! Darmstadt’s defence look all at sea at the moment, and Dortmund almost take advantage once more as Aubameyang is slipped through by Ramos, but his eventual shot from a somewhat-acute angle trickles wide of the target. The visitors regain territory quickly enough, however, with Gundogan going for goal from range, but his effort sails high over the crossbar.
53'
E. Durm has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund! Assist by G. Castro.
GOOOOOAAAAALLL!!! DORTMUND EXTEND THEIR LEAD!! That’s a sublime move by the visitors, as they lure Darmstadt’s defence out of shape, which allows Castro to pick up a pocket of space on the edge of the area. He could go for goal, but again elects to thread through a pass to Durm and, this time around, that decision pays off, as the full-back latches onto the throughball and tucks a neat finish into the bottom-right corner with his weaker right foot.
Gonzalo Castro has been growing more and more into this game since Dortmund took their lead, and it was a superb pass by the experienced playmaker that resulted in Durm being able to extend the visitors' advantage.
52'
CHANCE! That should have been 2-0 to Dortmund! After a risky bit of play by Subotic at the back, the visitors manager to work a move forward down the left, with Aubameyang getting free in the area. He drives towards goal, but is just unable to stretch fair enough to prod home from close range before it is hooked off the line by Sulu.
50'
Almost an opening then for Dortmund, as they string a slick move together that results in Aubameyang floating in a flat delivery which is chested down by Ramos into the path of Castro. The ex-Leverkusen man looks like he is going to try his luck with a strike, but instead takes a touch and elects to attempt a threaded pass to Durm, but he overhits it and Mathenia is able to smother the danger.
48'
STAT FLASH - after 23 matchdays Dortmund have 8 more points and 10 more goals than in the whole of the 2014/15 campaign. Dortmund have only conceded twice in the six matches of the new year - a league best - while only in 2011/12 have they started the second half of a Bundesliga season better than they have done this time around.
46'
We are back up and running at the Stadion am Bollenfalltor, with Dortmund, donning their traditional black and yellow strip, get the second half under way.
45'
There will be a minimum of one minute of added time at the end of the first half, as Jungwirth’s loose touch results in Dortmund winning a corner down on the left...
43'
SAVE! That’s a good stop by Mathenia, who stands up well to prevent Gundogan capping off a free-flowing Dortmund attack with a low finish into the bottom corner from close range after he had latched onto Castro’s wonderfully-timed throughball.
41'
That goal really is a sucker-punch for the hosts, who up until then had kept Dortmund at bay with relative ease, and really soul have been ahead themselves. It is another harsh moment for their coach Schuster, who had a terrible record against Dortmund as a player which included being the Karlsruhe SC player penalised for the infamous dive by Andreas Moeller in 1995.
38'
A. Ramos has scored a goal for Borussia Dortmund!
GOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!! RAMOS GIVES DORTMUND THE LEAD! Well, it looks like Dortmund needed something to spark them into life in this game, and it appears that Wagner chance has done just that! Castro did excellently to link his way down the left and drift a precise cross towards Aubameyang, who met it with a miss-skewed but powerful header that Mathenia could only parry into the path of Ramos, and the Colombia striker duly nudged home the opener from a yard out. That’s 1-0 to the visitors!
36'
CHANCE! OH, WHAT A MISS THAT IS! That really was a superb, gilt-edged opportunity for the hosts, as Wagner does brilliantly to bring the ball down on his chest and turn in the area before drilling a low effort across the face of goal that beats Weidenfeller, but it skews just wide of the woodwork.
35'
While you can definitely see the logic in Tuchel’s team selection this evening, it has to be said that Dortmund may have been better served to start their star players rather than make the wholesale changes that they have done. The visitors are retaining possession well, but have created very little and look like a side that are playing well within themselves at the moment.
33'
Slightly better from the visitors, as they finally manage to get down the flanks and make some headway in the final third. Passleck uses his pace to out-manoeuvre Jungwirth and tee up Castro on the overlap, but the midfielder’s cross sails harmlessly into the arms of Mathenia.
31'
Poor from Gundogan, who, after driving forward well from deep, concedes possession recklessly right on the edge of Darmstadt’s box. Dortmund really are finding it difficult to find any space here, against a team who have only managed to win one of their last five fixtures.
29'
News in now from the Allianz Arena, and it is good news for Dortmund, with Bayern Munich having slipped behind against Mainz. There is still over an hour left in that game, as there is here, though should the score in Munich remain the same - and Tuchel’s side manage to step it up a gear against Darmstadt - the gap at the top would be reduced to just five points ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash.
27'
Bar that chance for Ramos, Dortmund have looked relatively toothless so far tonight. Despite having netted a total of 102 goals this campaign, they are yet to create any real clear-cut opportunity in the opening half-an-hour here.
25'
CHANCE! Rausch concedes a corner on the right and, at the second attempt, Gundogan floats in a curling cross to the back post, with Castro picking up the loose ball on the edge of the area and sliding a neat pass in-behind to Ramos. He looks set to drill home his second goal in as many games, but just before he pulls the trigger on the shot, Rajkovic gets across to make a last-dicth sliding challenge.
23'
Almost an opening there for Darmstadt, as Vrancic lobs in a cross that Weidenfeller elects not to come out and collect. Gondorf had made a smart run across Subotic to latch onto the delivery, but ultimately his attempted finish is a poor one and Dortmund escape unscathed.
21'
Again, Dortmund return to attempting to play the ball out from the back and carve an opportunity out in that fashion. However, the hosts are sitting deep and keeping their shape, meaning that there are rarely any pocket of space available for the likes of Gundogan or Castro to be able to get in possession and create an opportunity. It seems that the visitors may have to allow Darmstadt some possession in order to open up an opportunity to create some space that Aubameyang, Ramos and Passlack can exploit on the counter.
18'
STRONG DEFENDING! Good pressure from Castro enables the former Bayer Leverkusen man to regain possession for Dortmund deep in Darmstadt’s half. The midfielder lays it off to Passlack, who lofts an inviting ball over to Ramos. The Colombian forward weaves his way round one defender and into the area, but Niemeyer gets across to make a timely challenge and clear the danger.
16'
STAT FLASH - For all their prowess and success in recent seasons, Dortmund have failed to win all of their last seven midweek Bundesliga fixtures (D6, L1). In fact, their last mid-week victory dates back to April 2012 (1-0 vs. Bayern).
14'
The pitch here at Darmstadt has been criticised as ‘unplayable’ at times this season, and Tuchel has admitted that he is rather worried that the surface may adversely effect how his side play the game. It’s a shame, for the Dortmund coach at least, that this fixture did not come a few weeks later in the Bundesliga schedule - as the turf is getting re-laid after this game.
12'
Some nice possession play from Dortmund as Tuchel’s men knock it about patiently, but the move does not result in creating any semblance of an opportunity. This game has been somewhat of a slow-burner, so far, though as I write that Weidenfeller almost parries a loose ball straight back into the path of Gondorf, but the Dortmund defenders get back to make the interception.
9'
Another swift counter-attack from Darmstadt results in Gondorf weaving down the left wing before seeing his attempted cross deflected out for a corner by Ginter. The winger drifts in a floated delivery from the resulting set-piece, but it sails over the heads of everybody before being bundled out for a throw-in by Durm.
7'
UNLCUKY! That’s a good move by Darmstadt on the counter, as Vrancic lays a neat path off into the path of Wagner. The striker drives down on goal before being scythed down by Weidenfeller, but instead of a penalty being awarded, play is brought back for an offside in the build-up!
6'
CLOSE! Well, that was almost a terrible mistake from the Darmstadt goalkeeper Mathenia! Drum did well to win a free-kick down the left flank, from which Gundogan duly whipped in a low cross. It took a horrid bobble off the somewhat un-even turf, forcing the hosts’ shot-stopper to parry the effort out into the danger zone, but fortunately for Schuster’s side, he manages to gather in the ball at the second attempt.
5'
Having struggled for regular game time this season, Adrian Ramos has been rewarded for his crucial goal against Hoffenheim last time out with a rather rare Bundesliga start this evening. The former Hertha Berlin forward attempts to latch onto a long pass from Subotic, but he is deemed to have fouled Sulu in the process and the Dortmund attack breaks down.
3'
This is Dortmund’s first visit to Darmstadt in 34 years, and they have started in typically composed and confident fashion, with Hummels driving forward smoothly before attempting to dink a delicate ball into the path of Durm, but the young full-back is just unable to keep it in play.
1'
KICK-OFF! It's a full house at the Stadion am Böllenfalltor - which with a capcity of 17,000 is the smallest ground in the German top-flight - and Darmstadt, who have claimed just one victory here all campaign, get proceedings under way, attacking from left to right in the first half.
Hello! Welcome to our LIVE text commentary of this Bundesliga clash between Darmstadt and Borussia Dortmund - in what is just the sixth competitive meeting between the two sides - as Thomas Tuchel’s second-placed side look to maintain their winning form ahead of Saturday’s crunch encounter with table-toppers Bayern Munich. It promises to be another fascinating match in the German top-flight, and you can get all the action as it happens from the Stadion am Bollenfalltor by sticking right here!
After initially taking the lead at Signal Iduna Park, Darmstadt had to fight from 2-1 down to salvage a last-gasp 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture back in September, with centre-back Aytac Sulu drilling home the leveller in stoppage time. Dirk Schuster’s side sit in 14th heading into this evening’s fixture, four points clear of Werder Bremen in the relegation play-off slot, though they have not managed a Bundesliga victory at their home ground in over five months.
As for Dortmund, they could make it four Bundesliga wins on the bounce should they manage to claim a victory this evening. Tuchel’s men were far from at their best against struggling Hoffenheim last time out, but after Germany international Sebastian Rudy saw red, the hosts came strong at Signal Iduna Park and came from behind to seal a 3-1 triumph thanks to goals from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Adrian Ramos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. They sit eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich, and will be looking for a confidence-boosting win, and, perhaps just as importantly, a better all-round display, to put them in good stead ahead of facing Pep Guardiola’s side on Saturday.
The team news is in now, and there is just the one change for the hosts from the line-up that drew away at Werder Bremen last time out, as Mario Vrancic replaces the absent Jan Rosenthal in midfield. It is a different story for the visitors, however, with Tuchel making eight changes in total from the team that started on Sunday. Marco Reus, Lukas Piszczek and Roman Burki drop out all together, while Sven Bender, Nuri Sahin, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Shinji Kagawa and Marcel Schmelzer are demoted to the bench, with 17-year-old midfielder Felix Passlack handed his senior debut. Let's check on the full line ups...
Despite the wholesale changes, it is still an incredibly strong starting XI for Dortmund, who have been able to welcome captain Mats Hummels back from injury, while Ilkay Gundogan, Julian Weigl and Gonzalo Castro will present a tough-tackling and hard-working midfield trio in the centre of the park. Up front, top-scorer Aubameyang starts once again; the Gabon striker netted a double in the reverse fixture.
HALF-TIME! Gundogan swings in the resulting corner, but his delivery is a poor one and Mathenia collects it in, with the referee duly sounding for the interval and bringing the first half to a close, with Dortmund leading Darmstadt 1-0 thanks to Adrian Ramos’ 38th-minute goal - his second in as many games.
It has been a rather dull affair so far, in all truth, and for all their possession, Dortmund have created relatively little in the way of clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. They took their chance when it came, however, unlike their hosts - who had a great chance squandered by Sandro Wagner just moments prior to Ramos’ opener. Darmstadt are still well in this game, though, and have shown that they can create opportunities when they get up the field and apply some pressure on the visitors' defence.
While the quality has not been of the standard we might expect from this usually exciting Dortmund outfit, if the scores in Darmstadt and at the Allianz Arena remain the same as they are at the moment, then Tuchel’s side will move to within five points of the league leaders Bayern, who are currently getting beat by Mainz.
FULL TIME! It’s all over at Darmstadt, where Dortmund have seen off the hosts 2-0 courtesy of goals either side of the interval from Adrian Ramos and Erik Durm. It was far from a vintage performance from Thomas Tuchel’s much-changed side, but they got the job done in comfortable fashion, without ever truly clicking out of first-gear.
That victory, a ninth of 2016 across all competitions, combined with Bayern’s shock defeat at home to Mainz, means that Dortmund move to within five points of Pep Guardiola’s side ahead of the upcoming Klassiker at Signal Iduna Park. As for Darmstadt, they remain in 14th, though thanks to Werder Bremen’s Claudio Pizzaro-inspired thumping of Bayer Leverkusen, they are now just two points clear of the relegation play-off position - now occupied by Eintracht Frankfurt.
Well, that’s all from me for now. It has been an absolute pleasure to bring you all the action from the Stadion am Bollenfalltor, where Dortmund have brushed aside Darmstadt with a comfortable 2-0 victory. Until next time, thank you and goodbye!
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