Borussia Dortmund struggled for a long time against Villarreal FC. But in the decisive moments, BVB suddenly stepped up and ultimately won convincingly 4-0 (1-0).

There was a time when Borussia Dortmund would have come up short against Spanish teams in one particular area: sheer willpower. When things got scrappy, tough, and uncomfortable on the field, the BVB pros would sometimes back down.

On Tuesday evening, however, Dortmund was a cut above FC Villarreal in precisely this regard. BVB won 4-0 (1-0) with goals from Serhou Guirassy (45’+2/54’, handball penalty), Karim Adeyemi (58’), and Daniel Svensson (90’).

A result that actually sounded like a soccer spectacle. The match on the fifth Champions League matchday, however, had little to do with that. In the decisive moments, though, Dortmund forced their luck—and, with a numerical advantage, managed to turn the tide ahead of Saturday’s Bundesliga away game at Bayer Leverkusen (6:30 p.m./Sky).

The match hadn’t even kicked off yet when Mats Hummels first touched on one of the wounds currently gaping at BVB. “It’s a stable team that brings the basics to the field,” said the Dortmund defensive legend in his new role as a TV analyst for Prime. The 36-year-old then added, however: “But they’re lacking those big moments of brilliance.” If Hummels had needed further evidence for this not-so-bold thesis, he could have presented a whole dossier by halftime at the latest.

Twice, Hummels’ heirs Waldemar Anton (22nd min.) and Nico Schlotterbeck (36th min.) made sliding tackles with the finest precision in moments of dire need, thus preventing two Spanish counterattacks that would have had goal-scoring potential. Those were the two highlights from Dortmund’s perspective—and that said a lot about the staid black-and-yellow performance. Although BVB played twice as many passes as their opponents from the Spanish Mediterranean coast, they yielded no results. Long balls to left-back Daniel Svensson were the most effective tactic. Villarreal, on the other hand, third in the Spanish league table, became more active. The best chance: Pape Gueye’s shot from the penalty area, which whizzed just over the bar following a free-kick trick (31st minute).

But what neither Hummels nor any of the 81,365 spectators in the sold-out Dortmund stadium could explain was the halftime score: 1-0 for BVB. A corner kick by Daniel Svensson broke the lack of creativity in stoppage time. Waldemar Anton played the ball to Aaron Anselmino, who was a surprise starter in place of Emre Can. Anselmino then played it on to Serhou Guirassy, and the striker headed it in from a meter out. Dortmund had a brief scare as a suspected handball by Anton was reviewed. But the goal stood.

BVB: VAR in the spotlight twice

The video referee was also in the spotlight immediately after halftime—again with a positive outcome for BVB. Here’s what happened: Dortmund counterattacked, and Felix Nmecha blocked a shot from a Spanish player. On the second attempt, with goalkeeper Luiz Junior already beaten, Karim Adeyemi missed the empty net and struck the outstretched arm of captain Juan Foyth. Handball penalty! Davide Massa double-checked the TV screen and stood by his decision, though he increased the penalty: a red card instead of a yellow for Foyth.

Guirassy took over the duties in Can’s absence. However, he didn’t handle the job with confidence. On his first attempt, he failed to beat Luiz Junior with a poorly placed, weak shot, but he slotted home the rebound (54′). Lucky. Just like the third goal shortly after, when Thomas Partey struck Adeyemi and the ball flew into the net off his shin (58′). Only once did nerves get the better of them, when substitute Fabio Silva blasted a penalty kick onto the crossbar (82nd min.).

Svensson put the finishing touch on the match with the 4-0 goal in stoppage time. Dortmund had nevertheless caught the Spaniards completely off guard on this November evening—and took a big step toward the knockout round.