Raphael Guerreiro found the net twice as Borussia Dortmund clinched top spot in UEFA Champions League Group A with a 2-0 win at AS Monaco on Tuesday.
Monaco 0-2 Dortmund
Goals: 0-1 Guerreiro (15′), 0-2 Guerreiro (88′)
With Monaco already out, Dortmund’s aim was to rest a number of first-choice stars — Marco Reus, Jadon Sancho and Axel Witsel were among those who did not even travel to the principality — and try to claim the win that would maintain their momentum and perhaps give them top spot in the section. Mario Götze signalled the visitors’ intentions with an early shot that flashed just wide before Christian Pulisic and Maximilian Philipp combined to tee up Guerreiro, who promptly broke the deadlock. Guerreiro and Marcel Schmelzer might have added more goals before the break, but opportunities for Radamel Falcao and Benoit Badiashile in the closing stages suggested the hosts — struggling domestically, unlike Dortmund — might have some fight in them still.
The save Ömer Toprak forced from former Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio reasserted the visitors’ grip on the game after the half-time interval while Philipp would have doubled their lead but for a devious bobble off the turf when he seemed destined to score but instead sent his shot into the night sky. Guerreiro came close to adding a second six minutes from time before he soon did thanks to good work from substitute Paco Alcacer to secure three points which — along with Atletico Madrid’s goalless draw in Bruges — see Lucien Favre’s men finish on top of what had looked a testing group.
Match stats
- Alcacer is Dortmund’s leading scorer this season with 11 goals in 12 appearances (six starts) in all competitions.
- Marco Reus has registered 12 goals and eights assists in 21 appearances in all competitions in 2018/19.
- Sixteen different players have scored for Dortmund in the first 14 league games, a new Bundesliga record.
- Dortmund have scored 54 goals in 22 competitive matches so far this term. Monaco have netted 18.
- Favre was in charge of French club Nice between 2016 and departing for Dortmund this summer, overseeing third- and eighth-placed finishes. He also had a spell in France as a player, with Toulouse.
- Monaco goalkeeper Diego Benaglio won the 2008/09 Bundesliga title with Wolfsburg.
Line-ups
Monaco: Benaglio – Biancone (Serrano 78′), Glik, B. Badiashile, Raggi – Henrichs, Tielemans, Bennasser, Massengo (Thuram-Ulien 69′) – Diop – Falcao (c) (Sylla 64′)
Unused subs: L. Badiashile, Barreca, Jemerson, Gouano
Coach: Thierry Henry
Dortmund: Hitz – Hakimi, Toprak, Diallo, Schmelzer – Weigl, Dahoud (Wolf 76′) – Pulisic, Götze (c), Guerreiro (Gomez 90+2′) – Philipp (Alcacer 79′)
Unused subs: Bürki, Akanji, Toljan, Burnic
Coach: Lucien Favre
As it happened
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