Snap shot: Dortmund's first meeting with Tottenham
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
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Dortmund and Spurs are set to renew a very recent rivalry. We remember their first meeting.
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Flowing football, sweeping counterattacks and some of the hottest talents in Europe – Dortmund and Tottenham are two of the most exciting teams to watch in the UEFA Champions League again this season. It wasn't always thus, though.
While these sides also met in this competition last term, their only other encounters came in the 2015/16 UEFA Europa League round of 16 when both were on the cusp of returning to the biggest stage.
Dortmund were recovering from a disappointing previous campaign and attempting to end Bayern's Bundesliga stranglehold, while Spurs were heading towards their then-highest finish – third place – in the Premier League era.
The German team made light work of an unfamiliar-looking Tottenham outfit in the first leg on 10 March 2016, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang giving the hosts the lead before Marco Reus's second-half double sealed a resounding win. Thomas Tuchel's men completed the job a week later with a 2-1 success in London.
We look back at some of the players who were in action at the BVB Stadion Dortmund.
1. Ryan Mason
Mason, like Harry Kane, is a local boy who came through the ranks and is also referred to by Spurs fans as "one of our own". The midfielder made 70 appearances for the club with these Dortmund matches being his last 90-minute outings before signing for Hull City in summer 2016. His career was sadly cut short when a fractured skull in his first season with Hull forced him to retire aged 26.
2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
The Gabon forward struck three times in the tie and also netted against Tottenham in last season's UEFA Champions League. Such prolific form is a given, considering his exploits at St-Étienne and then in Germany, where he notched 141 goals in just 213 games for BVB. Aubameyang joined Arsenal in January 2018 and has already sparkled in a north London derby, scoring twice against Spurs in December's 4-2 victory.
3. Josh Onomah
The 2015/16 season was midfielder Onomah's breakthrough, the former UEFA European Under-17 Championship winner finishing with 19 competitive outings. Onomah failed to become a regular in an improving Spurs side and has spent the most recent two campaigns on loan at Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday respectively.
4. Ben Davies
A reliable left-back since arriving at Tottenham from Swansea City in summer 2014, Davies has tussled with Danny Rose for a starting place. The Welshman starred for his country when they reached the semi-finals of UEFA EURO 2016 – though he was suspended for the last-four defeat by Portugal – and has continued to progress, recently passing 150 appearances for Spurs.
5. Gonzalo Castro
Now of Stuttgart, Castro initially shot to fame at Leverkusen, with 2008/09 a particularly stellar season as he played in a German Cup final and won the UEFA European U21 Championship with Germany. The versatile midfielder played 370 times for the Werkself before moving to Dortmund, where he spent three years. Castro was named in the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season for his displays in 2015/16.
6. Tom Carroll
One of four Tottenham youth products on show in this match, the midfielder made 30 of his 56 outings for the club in 2015/16. Despite eye-catching passing ability, he could never hold down a regular spot in north London, but has been a more prominent figure since switching to Swansea in 2017.
7. Kevin Wimmer
The former LASK Linz talent enhanced his reputation and broke into the Austrian national side while at Köln, helping them to the second-tier title in 2013/14 and then top-flight safety the next year. He waited patiently for a chance at Spurs, the Dortmund double-header coming during his best spell, but could not build on that promising start. The centre-back struggled last term after transferring to Stoke City and joined Hannover on loan this season.
The following players featured in the game and still play for the respective clubs:
Dortmund: Marco Reus, Łukasz Piszczek, Marcel Schmelzer, Julian Weigl, Shinji Kagawa
Tottenham: Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Heung-Min Son, Kieran Trippier, Christian Eriksen, Ben Davies, Harry Kane, Erik Lamela
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