BVB youngsters enjoy dream start in the Premier League International Cup | OneFootball

Lineup

For the match against Fulham FC’s youth team, coach Daniel Rios opted for a squad made up predominantly of U23 players. Luke Fahrenhorst and Jan-Luca Riedl from the U19s also traveled to London. In addition, a quartet with first-team experience — Mathis Albert, Kaua Prates, Luca Reggiani, and Justin Lerma — completed the team.

Match action

After just four minutes, Dortmund were already threatening in front of the hosts’ goal. But the game’s first early goal came immediately afterward at the other end. Following a Fulham corner that found striker Jose Sani’s head at the near post, Silas Ostrzinski was beaten for the first time (5’). After that wake-up call, however, BVB increasingly took control, though at first they were still unable to break down the deep-defending home side in buildup play.

The direction of the match was now set. While Fulham found it increasingly difficult to get into dangerous areas, BVB’s youngsters did better: a fine long pass from Mathis Albert was converted by Fadi Zarqelain in the 25th minute for a deserved equalizer. Just 180 seconds later, it was the lively Albert himself who gratefully accepted an English misplaced pass and placed the ball into the net from around 17 meters out. The visitors went into the break with a 2-1 lead.

The picture remained unchanged in the second half: Daniel Rios’ side immediately pushed for a third goal, which was not long in coming. Jesper Verlaat headed a Takato Yamamoto corner over the line successfully (52’). Five minutes later, and entirely without assistance thanks to a brilliant solo effort, Justin Lerma made it 4-1 for the Black and Yellows — before having to leave the field injured.

Until the closing minutes, the title holders created further chances through captain Azhil (82’), Degener (90+1’), and Ngambia (90+5’); in between, Ostrzinski safely dealt with a Fulham opportunity. Thanks to this mature performance after going behind early, Borussia’s youngsters can celebrate their first three points in the Premier League International Cup!

Reaction

Daniel Rios (head coach): “Overall, it was a deserved win for us, also because the team responded well after going behind early and turned the game around. We controlled the match over the full 90 minutes and created plenty of chances. I’m pleased that in this setup we delivered such a great performance against Fulham.”

Outlook

Borussia Dortmund’s U19s will face Rot-Weiss Essen on September 5 in the DFB youth round (11:00, training ground in Brackel). The U23s are away to VfB Hilden next Saturday in the Regionalliga West (29 August, 14:00). BVB’s youngsters will not be back in Premier League International Cup action until December 15, when their second group-stage opponent will be Aston Villa.

BVB youngsters: Ostrzinski – Verlaat (58’ Fahrenhorst), Azhil, Wüstenhagen (63’ Krempicki), Riedl, Zarqelain (74’ Ngambia), Lerma (63’ Degener), Albert (74’ Wessels), Prates, Yamamoto, Reggiani

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