Newcomers Nico Schlotterbeck, Karim Adeyemi and Niklas Süle made an unsuccessful debut at Borussia Dortmund. The three German internationals were unable to avert their new team’s 3-1 (0-1) draw against FC Valencia.
In front of around 5,500 spectators in Altach, Austria, Goncalo Guedes (40th/62nd minute) and Marco Andrè (58th) sealed BVB’s first defeat in preparation. Marco Reus (51st penalty kick) had taken care of the equalizer in the meantime.
Schlotterbeck, Adeyemi and Süle each played 45 minutes and remained largely inconspicuous. The game came too early for the other newcomers Sébastien Haller (ill) and Salih Özcan (rehab).
After the rock-hard program of the past few days in the training camp, the BVB pros were visibly lacking in freshness, speed and ideas. Again and again inaccuracies crept in, especially defensively, the protégés of coach Edin Terzic did not work together well enough.
“We still have room for improvement, but that’s normal after an intensive week of training. It was okay at first, but you still want to win a game like that. The opponents were very strong, they’re a good team, but three goals are conceded too much, of course,” summed up debutant Schlotterbeck.
Next BVB endurance test on Friday
Before leaving Bad Ragaz (Switzerland) on July 23, the team will play another demanding friendly against FC Villarreal on Friday (7 p.m.).
The game, which also takes place in Altach, is the dress rehearsal for the first mandatory task of the new season in the cup a week later at third division club 1860 Munich.
Game scheme: Kobel – Meunier (46th Passlack), Schlotterbeck (46th Süle), Hummels (76th Coulibaly), Guerreiro (46th Aning) – Dahoud, Bellingham (46th Brandt) – Adeyemi (46th Bynoe-Gittens), Reus ( 76th Kamara), Hazard (46th Wolf) – Moukoko
Gates: 0-1 Guedes (40′), 1-1 Reus (51′, penalty), 1-2 André (58′), 1-3 Guedes (62′)