Subs shine in U23's 3-1 win at Bergisch Gladbach | OneFootball

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Compared with the 1-1 draw against 1. FC Köln, BVB coach Daniel Rios made two changes to his starting lineup. Silas Ostrzinski started in goal for the first time this season. The U23’s number one, who had recently been part of the senior team’s training group, came in for Aaron Held between the posts. Nanitonda Quiala also moved into central defense alongside captain Jesper Verlaat, replacing Elias Benkara. The two U19 players Luke Fahrenhorst and Fadi Zarqelain were in the starting lineup for the third match in a row.

Match summary

The U23 took the initiative from the outset, enjoyed clearly more possession, and never allowed SV Bergisch Gladbach, who had started the season strongly with four points from two games, to get into the match at all. Much of the Black-and-Yellows’ play went down the left through the lively Arne Wessels, though his crosses initially found no takers. Because BVB otherwise lacked ideas and precision going forward, there was little action in front of the promoted side’s goal.

The home side, meanwhile, were largely defensive in the opening stages at the BELKAW Arena and mostly stayed in their own half. Even so, Bergisch Gladbach suddenly had reason to celebrate after 23 minutes: after Fabian Fricke stepped forward aggressively and won his duel with Fadi Zarqelain, he smashed the ball beautifully into the top corner from just under 20 meters on the left.

After the opening goal, the match picked up a bit, with the promoted side in particular growing bolder while the Rios team struggled in possession going forward. In the 35th minute, Ostrzinski kept BVB from conceding a second with a strong reflex save. After a misplaced pass from Jesper Verlaat, the ball eventually fell to Finn Stromberg, who was denied one-on-one by the outstanding BVB keeper. Shortly before halftime, even Ostrzinski would have been helpless, but Tristan Arndt’s shot crashed against the right post.

BVB coach Daniel Rios responded at the start of the second half with a triple substitution in attack: Kevin Mutove, Daniel Sumbu, and Diego Ngambi came on for Bennedikt Wüstenhagen, Zarqelain, and Wessels. Three changes that proved to be spot on, as Sumbu scored the equalizer for 1-1 with a fine individual effort just two minutes after coming on. And things got even better for Dortmund, who were visibly lifted by the goal. From the edge of the box, Jesper Verlaat placed his shot into the bottom-right corner to make it 2-1 (52'). It was the captain’s first competitive goal in a BVB shirt. This goal, too, involved a substitute, with provider Ngambi playing the key pass. Within a matter of minutes, BVB had turned the game around.

Just three minutes later, it became clear that the substitutions could hardly have worked out any better. Mutove could only be stopped in the penalty area by a foul and then converted the resulting spot-kick himself to make it 3-1.

BVB remained on top afterward and had the home side largely under control. Bergisch Gladbach did have the occasional moment, but lacked the final edge in front of goal or were denied by the impressive Ostrzinski. At the other end, the U23 missed the chance to put the game to bed in the 75th minute. First, Sumbu was denied by the home goalkeeper after a fine pass from Mutove, then Ngambi’s follow-up struck a defender’s leg. In the end, Dortmund saw out their lead comfortably and celebrated their first win of the season.

Reaction

Coach Daniel Rios: “We had control of the game. But we talked during the week about not just being satisfied with having the ball and being in control, but also about wanting to play with purpose going forward. About being willing to put in the yards so that we can get into better positions. Then it was the same again: we had control and plenty of opportunities, but in the first half I was missing that absolute determination to score goals. Because the others had also done well during the week, it was the right decision to make changes after going 1-0 down.”

Outlook

Because Westfalia Rhynern face Dynamo Dresden in the first round of the DFB-Pokal next weekend, the U23 have a bye. The Black-and-Yellows return to action on Saturday, 29 August, with an away match against promoted side VfB Hilden (live on LEAGUES). Kick-off is at 14:00.

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