Another draw: BVB U23 also draw 1-1 with 1. FC Köln II | OneFootball

After the 1-1 draw at VfL Bochum II, Borussia Dortmund’s second team also failed to get beyond a draw on the second matchday of the Regionalliga West. BVB’s U23 side also drew 1-1 with the reserve team of 1. FC Köln on Friday evening.

In front of an impressive crowd of more than 5,300 spectators, BVB made three changes to the lineup compared to the previous week. Elias Benkara and Connor Krempicki, along with Arne Wessels, who had returned from the senior team’s trip to Japan, came into the starting XI.

BVB were the dominant side from the outset and created several scoring chances in the first half, but none of them brought the desired reward. Köln, who had opened the season with a win against SC Wiedenbrück, only threatened before the break with a free kick.

After halftime, Borussia’s determination to take the lead was evident. After Wessels and Benkara both narrowly missed, Tim Degener put them deservedly ahead in the 59th minute after a headed layoff from captain Jesper Verlaat.

Of all people, El Mala scores for Köln

But the visitors from Köln woke up after conceding and looked much more lively afterwards. Just eight minutes after Degener’s goal, it was Malek El Mala of all people — brother of Said El Mala, who has been heavily courted by BVB — who scored the equalizer for the Billy Goats. That made it 1-1, and that was how it stayed, although BVB in particular still had chances to score a second goal.

Photo: IMAGO

Because Borussia were the better team but not clinical enough, coach Daniel Rios was only partly satisfied on the club website: “I think the team put in a huge amount of effort. Of course, it’s frustrating when you invest so much — with and without the ball — and then only go home with one point. That doesn’t feel very good.”

Rios saw plenty of room for improvement, especially in the final third, but was optimistic overall: “Scoring goals is the hardest thing in football. But we’ll keep working on it, and I’m convinced that in the future the boys will reward themselves with three points instead of just one.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.