Marco Reus’ Injury Overshadows Borussia Dortmund’s Win Over Schalke

Borussia Dortmund has won the Revierderby against rivals Schalke but lost captain Marco Reus. Youssoufa Moukoko scored the game’s only goal (79’) in front of 81,100 visitors at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA Park.

The result catapulted Dortmund to first place—at least until Union Berlin and Freiburg play later on Sunday. But the joy of the victory was very much overshadowed by the injury of captain Reus. The 32-year-old attacking midfielder rolled his ankle in the 28th minute and had to be carried off the field four minutes later.

It is a tragedy. Reus has been mostly injury free over the last two seasons but has a history of getting a knock just before a major tournament. With the World Cup in Qatar just two months away, there is fear that Dortmund’s captain could once again miss a major tournament.

“There isn’t anything positive to take away,” US men’s national team attacking midfielder Giovanni Reyna said when asked about Reus’ injury. “He is obviously a very important player for us. I don’t know the severity, but he will be out for a little while. But we have a lot of attacking players that can hopefully fill the void.”

The US midfielder came on for Reus and had a big chance in the 81st minute to double Dortmund’s lead. Despite all the negatives of the Reus injury, Reyna’s return to full fitness is positive news for the Black and Yellows, as the American will play a significant part in filling the void created by the injury.

Reyna’s return to full fitness, however, was not the only positive from the match. Head coach Edin Terzic seemed to have drawn the right conclusions from the defeats against Man City and RB Leipzig.

The injury aside, it was a challenging game for Dortmund against a well-organized Schalke defense. “We struggled to create many goalscoring chances in the first half despite being able to penetrate the final third,” head coach Edin Terzic said. “We knew that it would be an emotional game, and we faced that challenge face-on. It was all about three points, and they are the sweetest three points we could win this season.”

The result against City, especially hurt. It felt like Terzic made the wrong decisions over the last stretch of the game in terms of substitutions, throwing away a 1-0 lead. On Saturday, it was the other way around as Terzic brought on the win in the form of Moukoko and Karim Adeyemi. “Adeyemi and I came on and were able to bring a fresh wind to our side,” Moukoko said after the game.

“I am very much relieved,” Moukoko said when asked about his header that ended up winning the game for Dortmund. “I have been training with Terzic for this very situation, and I am elated that it worked out in that situation.”

The derby victory aside, Moukoko’s goal is a massive positive for Dortmund. The 17-year-old is considered the club’s biggest talent and has now scored a goal every 78 minutes for Dortmund this season—a stat that looks much better when one ignores that Moukoko has scored just two goals in six games.

Moukoko’s development, in fact, has become a significant debate at the club over the last several months. The teenager has been unhappy with playing time and the arrival of Anthony Modeste, who the club signed to replace Sébastien Haller; the French striker is currently recovering from testicular cancer.

It was, therefore, no coincidence that Moukoko pointed out his progress in heading the ball. Dortmund’s reasoning for signing first Haller and then Modeste was their aerial ability. “I am training headers every day,” Moukoko said. “Terzic always finds a way to integrate me, whether I am coming off the bench or start.”

The 17-year-old, like Reyna too, will also be asked to take a bigger role should Reus be out for longer. Moukoko can certainly play on both wings but also behind Modeste or form a two-pronged attack with Adeyemi.

Moukoko’s performance, therefore, was positive. But there was more. Media were asked not to inquire about the striker’s contract situation, but Moukoko himself alluded that he is not going anywhere any time soon. “I don’t want to pressure myself; I have time, and my time [here] is far from being over.”

Despite the Reus injury, the positives currently seem to outweigh the negatives in Dortmund. The Black and Yellows are three points clear of rivals Bayern, and young talents like Reyna and Moukoko seem to step up, giving hope that the club could compensate for Reus’ absence.

Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth