Kofane youngest Bayer goal scorer
© Imago
Borussia Dortmund celebrated a deserved victory in the Champions League against Athletic Bilbao and remains unbeaten this season. The team of coach Niko Kovac defeated the Basque 4: 1 (1: 0). After two games in the league, the BVB now has four points and is therefore fully in the target.
The Westphalia had the game under control for a long time and already led 2-0. After the guests’ connecting goal, BVB had to survive for minutes. Unlike the 4: 4 on the first match day at Juventus Turin, Borussia did not miss the success this time and even clearly designed it in the end. Before 81,365 fans in Dortmund, Daniel Svensson (28th minute), Carney Chukwuemeka (50th), Serhou Guirassy (82nd) and Julian Brandt (90.+1) scored the goals for the hosts. Gorka Guruzeta scored for Bilbao (61.).
Kovac changed his starting XI compared to the 2-0 victory in Mainz on Saturday to five positions. Among other things, top scorer Guirassy was there again, central defender Niklas Süle played again for the first time since the club World Cup in early July. Despite the numerous changes, BVB came into play well and took control directly. Dortmund had the ball circulated well and searched for gaps against the low guests. Because the last pass was too inaccurate, it took a while for the black and yellow first scores to score.
Marcel Sabitzer failed with a first shot from a promising position at Spain’s national goalkeeper Unai Simón. The first really big opportunity then took the lead.
Karim Adeyemi, who has been playing heavily for weeks, prevailed in the half right. The 23-year-old ran almost to the baseline, fit sharply in front of the goal and on the second post Svensson pressed the ball over the line. In a similar way, the Swede had hit four days earlier. Dortmund also played forward with the 1-0 in the back. Of the Basque guests who did not win a game in September, there was almost nothing on the offensive. The few counter attempts were subject to BVB defense in conjunction.
Nothing changed after the change of sides. Dortmund stayed the better team and rewarded himself with the second goal. The ball came to Chukwuemeka via Sabitzer and the previously inconspicuous Guirassy. The past season borrowed and borrowed from FC Chelsea in summer overcame Simón with a deflected left shot.
Only then did Bilbao become dangerous for the first time. However, BVB keeper Gregor Kobel fended off the tight attempt by Maroan Sannadi. For the guests, however, this seemed to be a kind of agitator. Bilbao shifted the game more to the Dortmund half and came to the connection with involuntary help of two Borussia. Süle and Waldemar Anton disabled each other in the penalty area, could not clarify and the Guruzeta had the traveling athletic fans cheer.
Suddenly the BVB looked nervous. The supposed compensation of Roberto Navarro did not count because of an offside position. Bilbao did not take any further opportunities – and Dortmund made everything clear late. First Guirassy steered a shot from Marcel Sabitzer to 3-1 into the goal, then the substitute Brandt got the fourth gate with a rich shot in the short corner.
Dortmund’s next opponent in the Champions League is FC Copenhagen on October 21. In the Bundesliga, the Westphalia welcomes RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Pressure grows: Bayer Leverkusen playful leadership against PSV
Bayer Leverkusen also won only one point in the second game in the Champions League under new coach Kasper Hjulmand. The Werkself did not go beyond a 1: 1 (0: 0) against the Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven despite a increase in opportunities. Bayer is already under pressure in the premier class.
The newcomer Christian Kofane slipped into the starting eleven had put Leverkusen in the lead in the 65th minute. At the age of 19 and 67, he became the youngest Bayer goalkeeper in the history of the premier class. Just a little later, Ismael Saibari (72nd) made the equalization.
In view of the upcoming tasks against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica Lisbon, Manchester City and Newcastle United, after the narrow draw on the first matchday at FC Copenhagen, the load was felt before kick-off. “The pressure is always there. But we only think of this game. If we go through our game, we always have a chance to win,” Hjulmand said before the game.
Compared to the Bundesliga victory at FC St. Pauli, the Dane made three changes. Newcomer Kofane replaced the injured striker Patrik Schick (thigh problems). In addition, Equi Fernández moved into the starting eleven for the Nonductor problems that did not become fit in time, while Ernest Poku began instead of Elise Ben Seghir.
Before 30,210 fans, the guests initially caught the better start. Already on the first chance, Ivan Perisic (4th) appeared dangerously in front of the goal after a flank and headed from a short distance. But the goal was revoked after the Var check for offside. A wake -up call for Leverkusen, which then increasingly fought into the game.
Better in the journey, Alejandro Grimaldo (11th) failed from an acute angle on the post, just a few minutes later Aleix Garcia (15th) tried it from the second row. Ex-Bayer goalkeeper Matej Kovar (25th) parried a shot from the ex-Andhoven Malik Tillman. After half an hour, the home side had 7: 1 goal shots, but the recovery failed to materialize. Instead, the PSV became gripper shortly before the break and the game was more balanced. Almost at the same time, the personnel situation at Bayer was tightened: full -back Axel Tape (42nd) had to be struck off the field. The failure list continued to grow with the hosts before the first round was finished.
The first end of the second round also went to Leverkusen: Ernest Poku met the outside network (48th). After that, the Werkelf was missing some speed and precision. PSV, who has a Bayer past man with coach Peter Bosz on the sidelines, was able to make the game balanced and always set needles. But then Bayer was finally able to cheer: Kofane showed up in a misunderstanding in PSV defense-Jerdy Schoute had played a devastating back pass to Amrando Obispo in his own box-wide awake and converted from around eleven meters ice cold at the bottom left.
However, the tour only lasted briefly. PSV brought the pace back into play immediately after the goal and pushed towards the penalty area. There Saibari used a precise pass from Guus Til and fled half -left from a good ten meters outstanding past Mark Flekken into the far corner.