Yet another superlative display by Erling Haaland inspired Borussia Dortmund to an impressive Ruhr Derby win over rivals Schalke. But Dortmund remain outside of the top four—and they cannot afford to stay there.
Erling Haaland has scored 44 goals in 43 Borussia Dortmund appearances.Image: Lars baron/Getty Images
Any regular player would have taken a touch or maybe gone for it with their head. Very few would have even attempted what Erling Haaland did. But Haaland took on the spectacular option, adjusting his body to unleash an acrobatic yet controlled volley. Needless to say, it flew straight in.
That moment of majesty went a long way towards settling the Ruhr derby in Dortmund’s favor once again. It followed Jadon Sancho’s opener three minutes earlier as Dortmund’s big game stars stepped up at just the right time.
By the time Raphael Guerreiro added a slick third after the break and Haaland notched a fourth, Schalke’s third straight Ruhr derby defeat was merely the latest episode in the series of tribulations that have stalked their sorry season. Nine points from safety and with just one win all season, Christian Gross’s side will soon have no option but to plan for life in Germany’s second tier.
Schalke have won just one game all season and are nine points from safety.Image: Tim Rehbein/RHR-FOTO/picture alliance
Haaland's majesty
Dortmund made the 30 kilometer journey to Gelsenkirchen nine points off the top four and in the knowledge that their chief top four rivals, Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, had already won. The pressure was on.
This was not the first time this week that Dortmund have relied on the individual ability of their Norwegian superstar. In Seville on Wednesday, Haaland’s heroics almost single-handedly dragged them to an impressive victory in the Champions League.
And back in Germany he did it again, continuing his formidable form to make it 43 goals in 43 games. It’s worth dwelling on that statistic for just a moment.
Dortmund's interim coach, Edin Terzic, was pleased with the result, but was measured in his praise of the team.
"We came here to win the derby, and we succeeded," he said, with a smile on his face. "We are very pleased with the way we scored the goals. The way we performed in Seville and here is, of course, what we want. But it's a process, it will take time, there will be setbacks. It takes time."
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Mounting losses
The problem is, while Dortmund have already secured the services of Borussia Mönchengladbach coach Marco Rose starting this summer, they simply cannot afford to finish outside of the top four.
The club reported losses of €26.3million in the first half of the 2020-21 season, with the extended absence of fans at Signal Iduna Park, Germany’s biggest stadium, blowing a black hole in their finances. The potential double whammy of COVID-19 and no Champions League football would force Dortmund’s hand into selling one or both of their star assets.
Dortmund's victory over Schalke was only their second in seven Bundesliga gamesImage: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images
While Haaland might be persuaded to stay in Dortmund for a second full season, a Bundesliga finish of fifth or lower would make Sancho’s return to England a formality. And with Dortmund seeing red on the balance sheet, Manchester United—his likely suitors—will fancy their chances of negotiating a bargain.
And in Haaland’s case, his red-hot form will surely convince one of Europe’s big guns to unlock his buyout clause, which kicks in this summer and, at €75 million, is around half his value in the current market.
This derby win will feel good for Dortmund, who will always relish a big win in their neighbor’s back yard—not least one that pushes them closer to relegation. But with at least one of Dortmund's stars all but certain to leave, there are still dark clouds over both sides of the Ruhr Valley.
Schalke vs. Dortmund: The Revierderby in troubled times
Schalke host Dortmnd behind closed doors on Saturday in one of the strangest editions of the Revierderby in the Bundesliga. Here we look back at some of the most memorable moments in Germany's fiercest rivalry.
Image: Martin Meissner/AP Photo/picture-alliance
Dortmund desperate to halt dreadful descent
Both Revierderby rivals find themselves in tough times ahead of their Matchday 22 clash. Dortmund dropped first out of the title race, and now the top four, with their hopes of Champions League qualification hanging by a thread. BVB need to bounce back fast if they're to not only finish high in the table, but also avoid losing some of their top stars.
Image: Jürgen Fromme/firo//picture-alliance
Schalke praying for a miracle to avoid relegation
Schalke are faring much, much worse. They have only won once this season and are rooted to the bottom of the table with just nine points. Time is running out for the flailing club to turn their season around as they lie nine points from safety. Their fourth coach of the season, Christian Gross, has been tasked with righting the sinking ship, but he's lost five of his eight matches.
Image: Jürgen Fromme/augenklick/picture-alliance
Dominant Dortmund in last meeting
The last meeting in the Revierderby ended in a dominant 3-0 win to Dortmund in October last year. It was the last Bundesliga game in which fans were allowed inside Dortmund's stadium, with about 300 attending. Manuel Akanji, Erling Haaland, and Mats Hummels grabbed the goals in a relatively straightforward victory.
Image: Leon Kuegeler/Reuters
Legendary Naldo!
In April 2018, Schalke scored their first derby win since 2014. Naldo proved the hero once more, scoring an incredible free kick to end the contest and write his name into the Royal Blues' history book. In doing so, the 35-year-old Brazilian went one better than his late, great equalizer that marked an incredible comeback from a four-goal deficit in the first derby of the 2017-18 season.
Image: Reuters/L. Kuegeler
Four-goal comeback
The first Revierderby of 2017-18 was without a doubt one of the most exciting. Dortmund dominated from the kickoff, going up by four goals in the first half hour. Schalke staged a comeback in the second half. Central defender Naldo (bottom left) scored with a header four minutes into time added on to give Schalke a 4-4 draw in Dortmund.
Image: picture-alliance/Fotostand/Wundrig
BVB win in the fog
The fog was so thick in Dortmund in November 1966, that some referees might have declined to go ahead with the match. Not Gerd Henning: "Every time somebody kicked the ball into the fog, I chased after it," he said afterwards. "It was strenuous, but it was okay. BVB dealt better with the conditions, winning 6-2. Lothar Emmerich's hat trick is the only one ever scored in a Ruhr derby.
Image: Imago/Horstmüller
Fido bites Friedel
One of the strangest things to happen during a Revierderby came in Dortmund in September 1969. After a Schalke goal, some of the spectators invaded the pitch, so the stewards used dogs to drive them back. One of the dogs bit Schalke defender Friedel Rausch in the backside. Despite his pain, Rausch was able to play on.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A goal against his future club
In December 1997, Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann (fourth from left) scored a last-minute goal to earn team a 2-2 draw in Dortmund. Among the players who have been on both sides of the Ruhr derby, Lehmann is the record holder, having made 11 appearances for for Schalke and nine for Dortmund.
Image: ullstein bild - Firo
Penalty spoiler
Frank Rost was the man of the match in Dortmund in January 2004. The Schalke goalkeeper saved two penalties, first from Jan Koller, then from Torsten Frings. Rost would go on to keep a clean sheet and Ebbe Sand's goal shortly before the final whistle gave Schalke a 1-0 win.
Image: picture-alliance /dpa/F.-P. Tschauner
Longest undefeated streak
The derby in Dortmund was also decided by a single Schalke goal. This time it was the Brazilian Ailton (right) who got the winner. This extended Schalke's undefeated streak in the derby to 12 matches — the longest in the long history of encounters between Schalke and BVB.
Image: picture-alliance/Ulmer/B. Hacke
Royal Blue hopes dashed
One of the most bitter derby encounters for Schalke. In Dortmund in May of 2007, Schalke's hopes of winning the Bundesliga title ebbed away. In the penultimate match of the season Alexander Frei and Ebi Smolarek (second from right) both scored in a Dortmund win. Schalke players Christian Pander (left) and Fabian Ernst are not impressed.
Image: picture-alliance/Ulmer/L. Coch
Back from the dead
After an hour of play in Dortmund in September 2008, Schalke were up 3-0 and looked to have all but won the match. After BVB pulled one back, though, Schalke had two players sent off in the space of five minutes. Dortmund got two more to earn a 3-3 draw. The last one was this Alexander Frei penalty in the 89th minute.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Scheidemann
Fan trouble
So intense is the rivalry that there can be trouble between groups of supporters. Brawls broke out in October 2012 in Dortmund, as well as a year later in Gelsenkirchen. Both clubs went as far as to threaten to play future derbies behind closed doors — but clearly it never came to that — at least not for that reason. Most games this season have been played behind closed doors due to COVID-19.
Image: picture alliance/Sven Simon
Batman and Robin
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (left) scored the goal that put Dortmund up 1-0 at the Signal Iduna Park in February of 2015. He and teammate Marco Reus celebrated by donning previously hidden Batman and Robin masks. "We like to have a bit of fun," Reus explained afterwards. Dortmund went on to win 3-0.
Image: Lars Baron/Bongarts/Getty Images
A red card for the ref
In the derby in Gelsenkirchen in April 2017, Schalke's mascot, Erwin, showed referee Felix Zwayer the red card. Zwayer had denied the Royal Blues a penalty in time-added-on. Schalke's coach, Markus Weinzierl (third from right) protested a little too vigorously and was sent to the stands. The match ended 1-1 and the DFB responded by issuing a formal warning to Erwin.
