BVB women let game against Köln's U21s slip away late on | OneFootball

Following their clear 6-0 victory over the Bayer 04 Leverkusen U23s in their opening match, head coach Markus Högner's team occupied top spot ahead of their game against Köln, who had also made a strong start to the new season (4-1 away victory against 1. FFC Recklinghausen). Dortmund took to the pitch at Sportplatz Efferen in Hürth, which is located to the southwest of the Rhineland's biggest city, with the same successful line-up they had fielded the week before and created their first goalscoring opportunities in the opening minutes. Following a shot by Ronja Leubner from a central position that was turned behind for a corner (5), Rita Schumacher had the next good chance after Jasmin Jabbes had played a fine through-ball (7). A lob from Annika Enderle then sailed past the right post of the Köln goal in the 10th minute.

It quickly became clear that the match against the Köln youngsters would be a different game to the one on the opening day of the season. The home team grew increasingly stronger after 15 minutes and fired the first warning shot following a low corner-kick. But just as the game was becoming more evenly balanced, Dana Marquardt netted a spectacular goal for the Black & Yellows in the 25th minute following a free-kick from Rita Schumacher. 1-0! The game remained intense, with several minor fouls on both sides leading to the occasional interruption. Shortly before the half-time whistle, Vogel, Schumacher and Leubner spurned chances to increase the lead to 2-0 in quick succession.

The second half got under way with no changes on either side, but the home team looked much-improved: Köln re-emerged from the dressing room looking more dangerous and now generated more forward momentum. When Paula Reimann misjudged a Köln free kick in the six-yard box in the 49th minute, Antonia Langshausen fired home an unstoppable shot to make it 1-1. On artificial turf – an unfamiliar surface for the BVB women – it developed into a varied match that was also characterised by the occasional Black & Yellow lapse in concentration. But then Borussia took the lead again: Dana Marquardt flicked on a long ball from goalkeeper Laura van der Laan into the opposition penalty area, where Annika Enderle was able to lob the ball over the home goalkeeper and into the net (55). Only three minutes later, it was Rita Schumacher who made it 3-1 to BVB after a careless loss of possession by the Köln goalkeeper.

But even after this highly deserved lead, the game would grow tense again. Rather than making it 4-1 (Enderle and Schumacher, 60 and 68), it was the Köln ladies who were suddenly putting the BVB goal under pressure. BVB's lead was reduced to 3-2 after another free-kick (74), before the Rhineland outfit then sparked celebrations by scoring the equalising goal in the 87th minute. This comeback gave Köln additional momentum, and they ultimately converted a 90th-minute penalty through Emily Tichelkamp to secure a late 4-3 victory.

The Black & Yellows will next face SV Thülen in the Westfalenpokal this coming Thursday (4 September). Kick-off at Sportplatz Am Scheid in Brilon is at 18:15 CEST. The next match in the Regionalliga West will be played at Stadion Rote Erde at 15:00 CEST on Sunday 7 September. Borussia Mönchengladbach's second team will be the visitors. Tickets for this match are available via the Online Ticket Shop, and the game will also be broadcast exclusively and free of charge on Pluto TV.