Borussia Dortmund lost their second match in the league phase of the Champions League and, coincidently, against their second Spanish opponent. After the disappointing defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, their El Clássico rivals in Barcelona got the better of the Black and Yellows in a 3-2 win at the Signal Iduna Park.
After a more defensive and strategic performance in the first-half, Borussia Dortmund eventually balanced things out and made it an end-to-end contest played at blistering pace. However, it was not enough to prevent Barça's stars like Raphinha and Lamine Yamal from punishing Dortmund's mistakes. BVB were never in the lead, but did respond to Barcelona's punches almost immediately.
Despite the entertaining and much-improved overall performance, Borussia Dortmund could not avoid defeat. As they find themselves in ninth place, one spot below the direct qualifying zone, Sahin and his team will have the chance to bounce back against Bologna away on January 21st. It will be the chance to start 2025 on the right note.
Before that, here are our Borussia Dortmund player ratings from their 3-2 defeat to FC Barcelona.