Dortmund Celebrates a Duo That’s Also Celebrating Itself | OneFootball

After Santiago Mourino’s 1-1 equalizer (67th minute), the much-sought-after home win against last year’s third-place Spanish team was briefly in jeopardy. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel even prevented the team from falling behind, and coach Niko Kovac, as so often, proved he had a knack for making the right substitutions: Jobe Bellingham solidified the center of the midfield, and Fabio Silva stepped up the pressure up front. The 24-year-old Portuguese player set up Serhou Guirassy for the 2-1 goal (80th minute) and likely would have scored several times himself had former Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi not made three outstanding saves in the 76th, 83rd, and 90th minutes.

In the end, the scoreboard showed a 3–2 victory for BVB. It was a well-deserved win, given the 2.83 to 1.34 ratio based on the expected goals (“xGoals””) derived from the quality of each team’s chances, as well as the 18–13 shot count. With this result, the Black and Yellows continued an impressive run. In the 16 BVB matches across the 2024–25 and 2025–26 league seasons, the combined total of 70 goals scored by both teams was the highest in Europe. The current average stands at 4.4 goals per game.

“The team did a really good job”

“We saw a great football game. My team did a really good job,” were Niko Kovac’s words of praise after the match. “We deserved to win because we showed a lot of what we’re capable of. Our possession in the first half was great, and in the second half we created a lot of good chances.” But we also conceded a few. “Of course, the opponent had more chances than I’d hoped,” the head coach admitted, “but we also faced a very, very good opponent on the other side.”

But Fabio Silva and two-goal scorer Serhou Guirassy (who converted a penalty kick in the 85th minute to make it 3–1) were even better. “Fabio is doing really well. He’s thriving and doing what he does best: working hard for the team, creating plenty of chances, and of course, he’s very valuable as a playmaker,” said Kovac, who hinted that he might switch between 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 formations in the future: “You can see that we can play this system with two strikers just as well as with one striker and two wingers.”

Guirassy: “I’m very happy with Fabio”

This means we might see Guirassy and Silva starting together more often in the future when BVB takes the field—rather than one or the other. “I play better when I play alongside him,” the Portuguese player explained in an interview with BVB-TV: “We can create more space for each other. We create more chances and have a stronger presence in the penalty area.” Guirassy also advocates for a two-striker lineup and tried to convince his teammates to give him a chance: “It’s not always easy for him. I’m very happy with Fabio. He’s made the difference in the last two games. I know him very well; we speak the same football language, and tonight we’re all happy.”

Even more important than who plays for BVB is the way the team performs. Top scorer Serhou Guirassy knows this, too: “In the last two games, it was all about team spirit. And we have to maintain that attitude. Players who come off the bench make the difference. That’s important for a big club. Let’s work toward achieving something great.”

Well—then please keep it up on Saturday in the home game against SC Paderborn …