Reus, Dembélé star as Dortmund put eight past Legia
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
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When Marco Reus's deflected shot in added time made it Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warszawa, the record for most goals in a UEFA Champions League game fell.
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Marco Reus was one of three players to score twice as Borussia Dortmund defeated Legia Warszawa 8-4 – the combined 12 goals a record for a UEFA Champions League match.
Captaining the Bundesliga side on his first appearance since last season's German Cup final, Reus set up Ousmane Dembélé to make it 4-2 and then turned in a Shinji Kagawa cross for the seventh goal – Dortmund's fifth – of an extraordinary first 45 minutes.
The roles were reversed early in the second half when Dembélé, who had teed up both Kagawa goals before the break, squared for Reus to sweep in the Schwarzgelben's sixth.
Aleksandar Prijovic had stunned the home crowd by casually putting Legia ahead with the outside of his right boot. The No99 soon struck again and, with the score 3-2 to Dortmund, hit the crossbar seconds before Dembélé found the net at the other end.
Reus, however, had the last word, sliding a shot through the legs of Radosław Cierzniak with the aid of a decisive deflection off Jakub Rzeźniczak. With that, this game usurped Monaco 8-3 Deportivo La Coruña from 2003/04 as the highest scoring in competition history.
Key player: Marco Reus (Dortmund)
Reus banished any doubts about his match sharpness with a virtuoso display. Other players might have tired on their first competitive outing in six months. Not Reus. That the German international was still going strong at the death, when he fashioned his team's eighth, was testament to his endurance levels.
Goals galore
The end-to-end nature of proceedings and apparent disregard for defending meant this contest was akin to a schoolboy game. Dortmund do not often ship four goals, although the fact they did might be explained by Thomas Tuchel's decision to heavily rotate his squad.
Prijović repays faith
Jacek Magiera's choice of Prijovic up front instead of Nemanja Nikolić, Legia's leading marksman in the Ekstraklasa this season, paid off. Only the crossbar denied Prijovic a hat-trick, while Nikolić came off the bench with 15 minutes left and drove in Legia's fourth. Their performances have certainly given the coach food for thought.
Reporters' views
Steffen Potter, Dortmund (@UEFAcomSteffenP)
Tuchel had asked his fringe players to show desire, "to play on the biggest stage". They did just that. Nuri Şahin, who had previously figured just once this term, unleashed a cry of relief when he scored. Sebastian Rode and Kagawa might have hoped for more involvement this season, but they took their chance to shine. Reus also returned and in the process BVB consolidated first place in the group. I am not sure what Tuchel will think about his side's defending, though.
Piotr Koźmiński, Legia (@UEFAcomPiotrK)
Legia were keen to prove they were a different team from the one that lost 6-0 to Dortmund on matchday one. The 3-3 draw against Real Madrid three weeks ago imbued them with a confidence that was evident in their showing tonight as they played with no fear and crafted four well-taken goals.