Reus returns to haunt Monchengladbach again as Dortmund win Borussia battle

Marco Reus scored his ninth goal against former clubBorussia Monchengladbach as he secured a 1-0 Borussia Dortmund victory.Gladbach, who lead the Bundesliga on goal difference from Wolfsburg, took on last seasons runners-up having not suffered a league loss for three successive games.Reus strike made all the difference at the Westfalenstadion, an outcome that may be all too familiar for Gladbach fans who have seen him score in each of the last five meetings between the two clubs.There was little to separate the sides as the game began, with an early chance from GladbachsTony Jantschke matched by a Thorgan Hazard shot that glanced wide of the mark.Dortmunds Julian Brandt then struck, but his effort was saved byYann Sommer and the rebounded ball was quickly cleared by the Gladbach defence.A spell of Gladbach pressure then followed, withBreel Embolo nodding just high of the Dortmund goal andStefan Lainer forcing an impressive save fromRoman Burki.Sommer was then called upon again, this time to block a shot fromReus, who connected with a Hazard cross on the right wing.A corner then gave Hazard the opportunity to feed the ball into centre-back Mats Hummels, whose goal-bound header was miraculously cleared by Sommer.The Belgian winger then looked to score his first goal for Dortmund as he was found on the right of the Gladbach box and fired a shot past a fumbling Sommer.The effort was referred to VAR, however, and subsequently disallowed as Reus was deemed to have been offside in the preceding play.Burki leapt into action again shortly afterwards as a backwards pass fromManuel Akanji was intercepted by Embolo.The Swiss keeper cleared the ball to keep the scoreline level as the interval approached.The hosts emerged from the break with a renewed energy, with both Hazard and Brandt seeing their efforts narrowly denied as a Dortmund goal began to look imminent.Their continuous pressing eventually came to fruition in the 58th minute, as Reus was found by Hazard and clipped the ball past an outstretched Sommer.Lucien Favres side were then dealt a blow as Burki took a heavy knock while clearing a corner and was subsequently replaced by fellow Swiss keeper Marwin Hitz.Hitz was tested immediately asMarcus Thuram picked up the ball and cut in behind him, finding Patrick Herrmann and leaving Hummels to intervene and defuse the threat of a Gladbach equaliser.Achraf Hakimi then cut back, lining up a shot at goal for Brandt, who seized upon the opportunity and seemingly scored a second goal for Dortmund.The effort was voided, however, as Reus was declared offside in the build-up.Lainer then struck a reaching cross towards Dortmunds box, withAxel Witsel unwittingly nudging it further towards the goal.Florian Neuhaus pounced on the opportunity, but Hitz launched himself into a remarkable save to deny Gladbach an equaliser and secure a 1-0 victory for Dortmund.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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