Marco Reus’ injury overshadows Borussia Dortmund’s win over Schalke 04

Borussia Dortmund won the Revierderby title over rival Schalke 04, but lost its captain, Marco Reus. Yusuf Mukoko scored the only goal of the match (79 minutes) in front of 81,100 visitors at SIGNAL IDUNA Park.

The result took Dortmund into first place – at least until Union Berlin and Friborg play later on Sunday. But the joy of victory was overshadowed by the injury of Captain Rios. The 32-year-old attacking midfielder twisted his ankle in the 28th minute and was forced off the field four minutes later.

It’s a tragedy. Reus has been mostly injury-free for the past two seasons but has a history of injury prior to a major tournament. With the World Cup in Qatar only two months away, there are fears the Dortmund captain could once again miss a major tournament.

“There is nothing positive to do without,” said US national team attacking midfielder Giovanni Reina when asked about Rios’ injury. “Obviously he is a very important player for us. I don’t know how dangerous he is, but he will be out for a little while. But we have a lot of attacking players that we hope will fill the void.”

The American midfielder joined Reus and had a great opportunity in the 81st minute to double Dortmund’s lead. Despite all the negatives from Rios’ injury, Reina’s return to full fitness is positive news for the Lions and Yellows, as the American will play an important role in filling the void created by the injury.

But Rina’s return to full fitness was not the only positive in the match. And coach Edin Terzic seemed to have drawn the right conclusions from the defeat against Man City and Leipzig.

Injury aside, it was a tough match for Dortmund against a well-organised Schalke defence. “We struggled to create many scoring opportunities in the first half despite our ability to break through the last third,” coach Eden Terzic said. “We knew it was going to be an emotional game, and we took that challenge head-on. It was all about three points, which are the sweetest three we could win this season.”

The score against City, was particularly damaged. I felt Terzic made the wrong decisions during the final stage of the match in terms of substitutions, leading to a 1-0 lead. On Saturday, it was the other way around as Terzec took the win in the form of Mukoko and Karim Adeyemi. After the match, Mukoko said, “Adeeme and I came and were able to bring a new wind to our side.”

“I am very satisfied,” Mukoko said when asked about his winning header in the Dortmund match. “I’ve been training with Terzic for this very position, and I’m glad he succeeded in that position.”

Regardless of the derby win, Mukoko’s goal was very positive for Dortmund. The 17-year-old is one of the club’s biggest talents and has now scored a goal every 78 minutes for Dortmund this season – a statistic that looks much better when one ignores that Mukoko has scored just two goals in six games.

In fact, the development of Mukoko has become an important controversy at the club over the past several months. The teenager was not happy with the playing time and the arrival of Anthony Modeste, who signed the club to replace Sebastian Haller; The French striker is currently recovering from testicular cancer.

Therefore, it was no coincidence that Mokoko indicated his lead in the header. Dortmund’s rationale for signing Haller first and then Modest was their aerial ability. “I do headers every day,” Mukoko said. “Terzic always finds a way to include me, whether I’m coming off the bench or going.”

The 17-year-old, also like Reina, will be asked to take on a bigger role should Reus stay longer. Moukoko could certainly play on both flanks but also behind Modeste or a two-pronged attack formation with Adeyemi.

So Mukoko’s performance was positive. But there was more. The media was asked not to inquire about the status of the striker’s contract, but Mukoko himself hinted that he was not going anywhere soon. “I don’t want to pressure myself; I have time and my time [here] It is far from finished.”

Despite Reus’ injury, the positives currently seem to outweigh the negatives in Dortmund. Black and Yellow are three points ahead of rivals Bayern, and young talents such as Reina and Mokoko appear to be on the cutting edge, giving hope that the club can make up for Rios’ absence.

Manuel Feith is the host The Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and Director of the USA District in Transfer Market. It has also been published in The Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA and many other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: Tweet embed