Tuesday 7 February 2017 19:13, UK
This season has not been straight-forward for Borussia Dortmund, who sit fourth in the Bundesliga and 12 points behind leaders Bayern Munich. But could Saturday's 1-0 win over new rivals RB Leipzig help them get back on track? Nick Wright was at a stormy Westfalenstadion to see it…
"Is this your first time here?" asks a towering Borussia Dortmund fan in the depths of the Westfalenstadion. Every inch of his faded old denim jacket is embroidered with yellow and black badges and slogans, and he takes a slow puff on a large cigar as we tell him that, yes, it is indeed our first time here. "You will enjoy it," he smiles.
All around us, a sell-out crowd of 81,000 is filing into the vast stadium. It is a miserable, rainy evening in western Germany, but the atmosphere is wild and fevered for one of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures of the season. Bundesliga upstarts RB Leipzig are in town.
Since they were controversially formed by energy drink giants Red Bull in 2009, RB Leipzig's rapid rise from the fifth tier to Bundesliga has caused outcry, with fans across the country railing against a corporate-backed success story which is at odds with German football's traditions.
A flying start to their first season in the top flight has heightened the hostility, and the ill-feeling is particularly acute in Dortmund. RB claimed a dramatic 1-0 win over Thomas Tuchel's side in their previous meeting back in September, and before Saturday's return game, they sat just three points behind leaders Bayern Munich and 11 ahead of their struggling opponents.
This time, the build-up was marred by ugly attacks on RB supporters. There was little evidence of it in the buzzing town centre just a few hours before kick-off, but the mood was different around the ground, where visiting fans had cans and stones thrown at them and police were forced to use batons and pepper spray to prevent more widespread clashes.
The tension was palpable and security was heightened as kick-off drew closer. Police later confirmed they had filed 28 charges for breaches of the law, and Dortmund were quick to condemn the violence in a statement expressing their "deep regret" at the incidents after the game.
The animosity was abundantly clear inside the ground, too. Giant banners proclaiming RB "football's enemy" were proudly displayed across the sprawling terraces of Dortmund's 25,000-capacity Yellow Wall, and the beating drums built to a deafening crescendo as the game - which seemed like an afterthought at this point - finally got underway.
In footballing terms, a victory was vital for Dortmund. Tuchel's side flexed their muscles with two 2-2 draws with Real Madrid earlier this season and finished above Zinedine Zidane's side in their Champions League group, but their domestic form has been alarmingly poor.
Carlo Ancelotti's Bayern already look out of reach at the top of the Bundesliga, and a run of four draws from five games either side of Christmas left Dortmund at risk of falling out of the Champions League spots. For a team who have finished in the top two in five of the last six seasons, it's unfamiliar ground.
Against RB, though, there were reminders of why they are considered arguably the most exciting young team in Europe. The visitors started stronger, but the stadium crackled with every Dortmund counter-attack, and what proved to be the decisive goal arrived with one such break from French prodigy Ousmane Dembele.
The 19-year-old, who was linked with a host of Europe's top clubs before swapping Rennes for Dortmund in the summer, took down a high ball with a breath-taking first-touch before accelerating away from two hapless defenders and crossing for the unmarked Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to head his 17th Bundesliga goal of the season.
It was the kind of lightening transition Dortmund - and Demebele - have become known for. Aubameyang celebrated with his trademark front flip, Tuchel ran out of the technical area with fists clenched, and in the Yellow Wall drinks went flying into the air. The wild celebrations seemed to shake the Westfalenstadion to its foundations.
Dembele was not the only young star to delight the home supporters. Twenty-one-year-old Germany international Julian Weigl - a player reportedly coveted by Pep Guardiola - displayed remarkable maturity at the base of midfield, and there was an impressive substitute appearance from the American teenager Christian Pulisic.
Even with the quality and experience of Mario Gotze, Andre Schurrle and Shinji Kagawa on the bench, it was telling that Tuchel chose to use Pulisic and another 18-year-old, Felix Passlack, instead. That faith in youth is why Swedish starlet Alexander Isak elected to join Dortmund's cohort of young talents in January, despite appearing certain to move to Real Madrid.
But it's not just the promise of opportunities that brought the likes of Isak and Dembele to Dortmund. The violent scenes before kick-off were an ugly blot on the evening, but this is a city which lives for its football team and comes alive on matchdays. The yellow and black is displayed in shop windows everywhere, and the team's thrilling dynamism is mirrored by the extraordinary support in the stands.
Back on the pitch, Dortmund missed a string of chances to make the game safe. It almost cost them when RB had a late goal ruled out for offside, but within minutes of the final whistle the players were celebrating arm-in-arm in front of the Yellow Wall. "We performed brilliantly for 90 minutes," said Tuchel afterwards. "We won 1-0 but it should have been 4-0."
The challenge now is to continue the momentum. Dortmund have plenty of ground to make up in the Bundesliga and there is the small prospect of a Champions League last-16 tie with Benfica to come next week.
It is a testing period, but as the yellow and black crowds streamed back out of the Westfalenstadion and into the night, it was with a renewed sense of optimism. Just as our friend in the denim jacket predicted, it had been an enjoyable ride.
