Borussia Dortmund were looking to move up to second in the Bundesliga on Friday with victory over Nuremberg at home.
The defending German champions did indeed do so as they ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at the Signal-Iduna Park.
Jakub Blaszczykowski scored twice in the opening 21 minutes and Robert Lewandowski added a third with two minutes of normal time remaining.
Read how it all unfolded in our minute-by minute live commentary below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole’s live coverage of the Bundesliga clash between Borussia Dortmund and Nuremberg. This is the first game in the 19th round of the German top flight this season, and you can catch all the action as it happens here on this page.
Heading into the game tonight at Signal-Iduna Park, defending champions Dortmund find themselves third in the league table with 33 points from 18 matches, just three points behind second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
On the other hand, Nuremberg are 15th in the league standings, having picked up just 21 points so far this season. They are struggling against relegation this campaign and have won just two away league fixtures.
Team news coming up now...
BORUSSIA DORTMUND STARTING XI Weidenfeller; Kehl, Piszczek, Santana, Schmelzer; Gundogan, Gotze, Hummels, Blaszczykowski; Lewandowski, Reus
NUREMBERG STARTING XI Schafer; Simons, Nilsson, Pinola, Chandler; Balitsch, Feulner, Kiyotake, Klose; Pekhart, Gebhart
So Nuri Sahin is once again left on the bench for Dortmund, who have named a very strong lineup as wonted. He played for five minutes against Werder Bremen and could once again make an appearance from the bench again tonight.
The good news for Nuremberg is that Goalkeeper Raphael Schafer has recovered from his broken nose he suffered last weekend against Hamburg, Coach Michael Wiesinger has named his strongest available lineup tonight.
Dortmund have a disappointing record at home this campaign and Nuremberg will be looking to take advantage of this. Jurgen Klopp’s side have picked up just 14 points from eight Bundesliga matches - a poor return given their high standards.
Ten minutes to kickoff at the Signal-Iduna-Park and the atmosphere is building up. I expect a comfortable home win tonight, but an early goal for Nuremberg could make it tough for Dortmund.
The two teams are getting ready to come out on the pitch now, as the fans are in loud voice at the Signal-Iduna-Park.
Kickoff is just a matter of minutes away as all formalities and pleasantries have been exchanged...
Dortmund get the game underway at the Signal-Iduna Park. Stay on this page for what should be another superbly entertaining Bundesliga game.
Interesting stat for you: Dortmund have not lost in their last 16 games on a Friday evening, boasting a record of 10 wins and six draws.
CHANCE! Dortmund create the first chance of the evening, as Sebastian Kehl heads a Marco Reus free kick wide from close range. It was a half-chance in all honesty, but the German champions have made their intentions clear - they are going on the attack right from the start.
MISS! Dortmund go agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock! Jakub Blaszczykowski is released down the right and he puts in a cross at Robert Lewandowski, who drags his shot from close range just wide of the post.
Dortmund are attacking again, this time Mario Gotze goes on a run down the middle but he is eventually dispossessed of the ball. It is all Dortmund in the opening minutes of the encounter - Nuremberg are firmly on the back at the moment.
Ten minutes gone in this match and it remains goalless between Borussia Dortmund and Nuremberg. The visitors have just started to get a grip on the game, but are still struggling against the pace of the home side.
Felipe Santana forces Hiroshi Kiyotake to run the ball out of play, as Nuremberg look to take the game to Dortmund. Kiyotake is one of the best creative players in the Bundesliga and could provide an opening for his team.
CHANCE! Another glorious chance for Robert Lewandowski! Lukasz Piszczek floats in a brilliant cross from the right wing that the Polish striker heads towards goal, but Raphael Schafer makes a comfortable catch.
Good defending from Timm Klose, who dispossess Ilkay Gundogan in a good position inside the Nuremberg penalty area.
CHANCE! Brilliant double-save from Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, who saves his defenders’ blushes. Markus Feulner floats in a cross from the right that Tomas Pekhart is allowed to get a free header in from just yards out, but Weidenfeller makes a sensational save. The rebound is eventually given away by Felipe Santana and Feulner takes the shot that is turned away for a corner by Weidenfeller.
PENALTY! Dortmund are awarded a penalty! Timo Gebhart is adjudged to have brought down Lukasz Piszczek inside the Nuremberg box. Not sure if that was a foul, or if was committed inside the 18-yard box, though.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Nuremberg (Blaszczykowski)
Cool penalty from Jakub Blaszczykowski, who makes no mistake from 12 yards and gives Schafer no chance whatsoever.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Nuremberg (Blaszczykowski)
And Blaszczykowski scores his second goal of the evening! Mario Gotze is the architect of the goal as he floats in a superb cross from the right that the midfielder slots home. The Nuremberg defenders were caught napping on that occasion.
Wow, Dortmund are running away with this now. Two goals in the space of three minutes and you would be tempted to think that Jurgen Klopp’s side have wrapped up the points here. Superb, superb football from Dortmund, who are one of the teams to watch in Europe.
Nuremberg are struggling to see the ball actually. The game is being played almost exclusively in their half of the pitch, and it is Dortmund who are playing it.
CHANCE! Wonderful goalkeeping from Schafer, as he keeps out Piszczek from just yards out! Gotze plays a brilliant dinked ball over the top of the defence for Lukasz Piszczek, whose cheeky lob is kept out by the onrushing Nuremberg goalkeeper.
Half an hour gone, and Dortmund are leading Nuremberg 2-0, thanks to a double from Jakub Blaszczykowski. The home side have been all over their visitors so far and it remains to be seen how many more goals they would be able to score.
Dortmund have looked very lively, powerful and confident after the winter break. Last weekend they won 5-0 against Werder Bremen away and are now 2-0 up with minutes to spare in the first half.
Free kick to Dortmund in a very dangerous position just outside the Nuremberg box. Marco Reus will take it, I presume. He himself earned it after being pulled down by Klose.
No, it is Marcel Schmelzer who takes the free kick and his set piece does not trouble Schafer at all.
MISS! Great chance for Nuremberg to halve the deficit goes abegging, as Markus Feulner flashes his shot from the left side of the Dortmund box wide. It was poor defending from Piszczek, who failed to properly clear a corner.
Five minutes to half time and Dortmund, still leading 2-0, are pressing on for their third goal of the evening. They are passing the ball around wonderfully and are teasing and toying with the Nuremberg defence and midfield.
GOAL RULED OUT Dortmund score their third goal of the evening, but it is ruled out for an offside offence. Lewandowski fires home from just yards out, but it appears that he was in an offside position when Piszczek passed him the ball the first time.
HALF-TIME: Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Nuremberg
It’s half time at the Signal-Iduna Park where Borussia Dortmund are leading Nuremberg 2-0. Jakub Blaszczykowski opened the scoring from the penalty spot on 17 minutes and three minutes later slotted home from close range. The visitors have been utterly dominated, although they did forced a double-save from Roman Weidenfeller.
Blaszczykowski has been in superb form this evening and so has Mario Gotze, who created his second goal and also played in an excellent ball for Lukasz Piszczek just before the half-hour mark. Dortmund won their last game 5-0, they are now three goals shy of repeating that scoreline.
I am just checking some of the stats now, and it seems that Dortmund have 72% of the possession. Reminds you of Barcelona, doesn’t it? BVB also took 10 attempts, five of which were on goal. Nuremberg had two of their five shots on target.
Second-half kickoff is just minutes away. I would expect Dortmund to continue to press on and perhaps grab a goal or two. However, if Nuremberg can get an early goal... They went close on three occasions in the first half.
Nuremberg get the second half underway. They are 2-0 down from the first half...
It has been a scrappy opening couple of minutes in the second half, I must say, as the two teams are settling into the rhythm.
Well, Dortmund resume the first-half pattern and regain control of the proceedings. They make two attacking forays in quick succession, but are thwarted before getting too close to the Nuremberg goal.
It is -6 degrees in Dortmund at the moment, absolutely freezing conditions under which this wonderful and entertaining Bundesliga game is being played.
Reus to take another Dortmund corner kick... He takes it, but Pekhart clears away the ball comfortably.
Nuri Sahin is warming up on the touchlines now. The on-loan midfielder from Real Madrid could come on in the second half as a substitute.
Nuri Sahin is warming up on the touchlines now. The on-loan midfielder from Real Madrid could come on in the second half as a substitute.
CHANCE! Pekhart goes close with a header as he tries to turn in Javier Pinola’s cross, but Weidenfeller makes a comfortable save.
We have played 10 minutes in the second half. Still 2-0 to Dortmund from the first half and the home side look comfortable.
I have to say, though, that Nuremberg are not entirely down and out, though, as they are still pushing towards the Dortmund goal. But their problem is that they cannot get hold of the ball at all!
CHANCE! Dortmund almost score their third goal of the evening! Lewandowski slips in a cross across the face of the goal that Gotze sends it back to him; he then takes a shot from just yards out that Schafer keeps out and also denies Gotze from the rebound.
CHANCE! Selfish play from Blaszczykowski, who gets the ball from Reus inside the Nuremberg penalty area on the right and unleashes a shot instead of passing it to his teammates who were in a better position. His attempt goes wide.
SUBSTITUTION Nuremberg make their first change of the evening. Robert Mak replaces Markus Feulner.
MISS! Reus goes so so close for Dortmund! Sebastian Kehl plays a brilliant ball to him over the top and Reus does receive it admirably; however, his effort on goal beats Schafer and also the far post, and goes out for a goalkick.
Twenty minutes remain in the second half of what has been a dominating performance from Dortmund, who are still unable to add to their two-goal tally from the first half.
It is indeed very admirable how Dortmund move in attack. They do not play lateral passes and carry on passing the ball around without making any forward movement - Klopp’s players actually retain possession and move forward into the opposition’s territory at the same time. And they do so with pace that would rival that played with by the top teams in the Premier League.
SUBSTITUTION Double change for Borussia Dortmund now. Nuri Sahin replaces goalscorer Jakub Blaszczykowski, while Sebastian Kehl goes off for Sven Bender.
SUBSTITUTION Nuremberg also make a change. Sebastian Polter replaces Tomas Pekhart.
SUBSTITUTION Mike Frantz also comes on for Nuremberg. he replaces Timo Gebhart.
CHANCE! Brilliants save from Schafer as he turns out an ambitious shot from Gundogan from 30 yards! It could easily have gone in and Dortmund could have gone 3-0 up at home.
The pace of the game has dropped slightly, as Dortmund are happy to just retain possession and play patiently. They know that they have done enough to bag maximum points tonight and Nuremberg are resigned to losing another away game.
Five minutes of normal time remain before Dortmund can celebrate yet another Friday evening victory.
MISS! Piszczek squanders away a glorious chance to make it 3-0 to Dortmund! Gotze plays a wonderful ball over the top for Piszczek, who tries to head the ball back across the face of the goal for Lewandowski, but can only manage to head it wide.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Nuremberg (Lewandowski)
Robert Lewandowski makes it 3-0 to Dortmund and does so in style. Felipe Santana lofts the ball to Reus, who then taps it across the face of the goal for Lewandowski to fire in from close range.
SUBSTITUTION Moritz Leitner replaces Ilkay Gundogan for Dortmund.
Just one minute of injury time has been awarded.
FULL TIME: Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Nuremberg
It’s all over at the Signal-Iduna Park where Borussia Dortmund have defeated Nuremberg 3-0 in the Bundesliga. Jakub Blaszczykowski opened the scoring on 18 minutes from the penalty spot and three minutes later slotted home from close range. Robert Lewandowski wrapped up the win for the defending German champions in the 88th minute when he fired in Marco Reus’s pass from just yards out.
The result means that Dortmund are now second in the Bundesliga table, level on 36 points with Bayer Leverkusen but ahead on goal difference. They are nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
I hope that you enjoyed our live coverage of the match. Have a good night. It’s goodbye from me for now.
