Alexander Meyer didn’t deserve to have to leave the pitch at Stamford Bridge like a drenched poodle. The Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper threw himself into every ball, into every duel with the Chelsea player. He had tried everything. He showed brilliant reactions, was not afraid and stood his ground, even when the English shot him in the upper body or even in the head at close range.
The 31-year-old made at least four brilliant saves on Tuesday evening in the round of 16 second leg in the Champions League, keeping his team in the game for a long time and the hope that BVB can still reach the next round. It wasn’t his fault that a 2-0 win for Chelsea finally lit up the scoreboard, ending the international competition for Dortmund on that cold evening in London. BVB only won the first leg in Dortmund 1-0.
Again jump into the cold water
Once again Meyer had to stand in for the injured Gregor Kobel at short notice. Like last weekend in the Bundesliga against RB Leipzig (2-1), when Kobel also signed off shortly before the game. But none of that seemed to be a problem. Meyer captured BVB’s success with his spectacular saves. “I enjoyed playing again after a long time,” said Meyer after the game against Leipzig.
In the game in London it was another leap into the deep end for Meyer, which the goalkeeper mastered spotlessly again. In both goals, a long-range shot and a penalty, he had no chance. This renewed sovereignty is all the more astonishing because Meyer is actually BVB’s reserve goalkeeper and has very little match practice.
He was able to show a total of nine appearances (5x Bundesliga, 4x Champions League) before the game in Chelsea. And this big European stage has also been alien to Meyer up to now. The goalkeeper spent his career mainly from the fourth-rate German regional league to the 2nd Bundesliga and was only a real term for experts until last summer. But Dortmund took the chance and grabbed it.
Back to the second link
Meyer switched from second division Jahn Regensburg to BVB for just 700,000 euros. A real bargain that sports director Sebastian Kehl managed to achieve with this transfer. Meyer will sit on the reserve bench again after these games without complaint and will move into second place if Kobel recovers and is able to play again in the next few days or weeks. Meyer is a reserve goalkeeper that you can rely on and that not only BVB would want.
Source: DW