Crime against Cologne
Beier redeems BVB in stoppage time
Updated 10/25/2025 – 8:40 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Borussia Dortmund had a difficult time in the home game against 1. FC Köln. The opposing goalkeeper repeatedly stood in the way of taking the lead.
Thanks to a late goal, Borussia Dortmund avoided another slip-up in the Bundesliga. BVB fought to win 1-0 (0-0) against strong newcomers 1. FC Köln, with substitute Maximilian Beier saving the favorites with his goal in stoppage time (90+6).
The gap to sovereign league leaders Bayern Munich remains seven points after eight games. Despite the defeat, Cologne is on target and has six points less than Dortmund. After a serious knee injury to defense chief Timo Hübers and five substitutions, the guests ended the game outnumbered – Beier took advantage of this.
Cologne coach Lukas Kwasniok had put his trust in Said El Mala from the start and also placed his trust in the hopeful in the Signal Iduna Park, which was once again sold out with 81,365 spectators. At Dortmund, coach Niko Kovac was quite surprising with his line-up: Pascal Groß and Carney Chukwuemeka played from the start, while Marcel Sabitzer and Jobe Bellingham, as well as Julian Brandt, initially sat on the bench.
BVB, who won the Champions League in Copenhagen during the week, initially took things at a leisurely pace. The next few weeks are tough: On Tuesday we face Eintracht Frankfurt in the second round of the DFB Cup. The game marks the start of four games on a foreign pitch: BVB will, among other things, travel to Manchester City at the beginning of November.
The task against Cologne proved to be very complicated from the start. FC were extremely dangerous on their counterattacks. Marius Bülter played the ball to El Mala, who was free – and hesitated too long in front of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. His shot rolled just wide of the goal; Rami Bensebaini had decisively disrupted Cologne’s hope.
But the scene reflected the course of the first half very well. Dortmund played hesitantly and slowly – and repeatedly lost the ball in dangerous areas. Nico Schlotterbeck, Waldemar Anton and Bensebaini had difficulty catching the fast El Mala, but defended well as a group.