Fortuna Düsseldorf secured a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly match held at the Merkur Spiel-Arena. This result marks an early setback for Borussia Dortmund in their pre-season campaign.
Mathis Albert initially put Borussia Dortmund ahead in the 20th minute. However, second-half goals from Fabian Schleusener and Anas Slimani sealed the win for Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Match Overview and Squad Changes
Borussia Dortmund, under head coach Niko Kovac, had previously defeated RW Oberhausen 3-1 in their first pre-season match. For the game against Düsseldorf, Kovac made several changes to his starting lineup. These included Serhou Guirassy as captain and Takato Yamamoto, who had an impressive debut in the previous match.
Other players brought into the starting XI were Enzo Duarte, who assisted Yamamoto’s goal against Oberhausen, and summer signing Joane Gadou, making his first start. Alexander Meyer remained in goal, while Jan-Luca Riedl, Marwan-Omir Mirza, Filippo Mane, and Almugera Kabar made their second consecutive starts.
Albert, a young American player, gave Borussia Dortmund the lead after 20 minutes. He connected with a long pass from Meyer, evaded his marker, and rounded the Düsseldorf goalkeeper to score into an open net.
In the second half, Kovac made extensive changes, substituting 10 players. Jobe Bellingham replaced Duarte in the 44th minute, and Arne Wessels came on for Elias Benkara with 12 minutes of normal time remaining. Düsseldorf also made multiple substitutions throughout the second half, with Jordi Paulina being the first after 46 minutes.
Second Half Turnaround
Despite the opportunity for all players to get game time, Borussia Dortmund appeared vulnerable defensively and lost control of the match. Fabian Schleusener equalized for Düsseldorf just four minutes into the second half.
Anas Slimani, one of Düsseldorf’s later substitutes, scored the winning goal with 11 minutes left in normal time. Lukas Eixler created the opportunity, getting behind the Borussia Dortmund defense on the right and delivering a cross for Slimani, who finished into the bottom corner.
Fortuna Düsseldorf is preparing for their upcoming season in 3.Liga, having been relegated from the 2. Bundesliga last season after finishing 17th with 37 points.
Upcoming Fixtures for Borussia Dortmund
Following this friendly, Borussia Dortmund is scheduled to travel to Japan. They will play two friendly matches there: against Cerezo Osaka on Wednesday, 29 July, and against FC Tokyo on Saturday, 1 August.
The match between Fortuna Düsseldorf and Borussia Dortmund was available for viewing through various streaming services and TV channels, including Sky Sport Bundesliga in Germany and Premier Sports 2 in the UK.
Other friendly matches played on the same day included:
- RAAL La Louvière 0, Samsunspor 0
- Konyaspor 0, Hull City 3
- Osijek 1, Rizespor 3
- Consadole Sapporo 1, Nagoya Grampus 0
- Matsumoto Yamaga 3, Ventforet Kofu 0
- Espanyol 1, Sabadell 1
- Girona 0, Alavés 1
- Concarneau 2, Laval 1
- Gil Vicente 2, Moreirense 2
- Hørsholm-Usserød 3, Roskilde 3
- Kortrijk 4, Knokke 1
- Luton Town 2, Al Kholood 0
- Næsby 0, Middelfart 1
- Odra Opole 1, Wisła Kraków II 2
- Südtirol 0, Kaiserslautern 0
- Tondela 1, Beira-Mar 2
- Wycombe Wanderers 3, Yeovil Town 2
- Benfica II 1, Casa Pia 0
- Mafra 1, Alverca 0
- Porto II 1, Académica 3
- Académico de Viseu 0, Lusitânia Lourosa 1
- Albirex Niigata 3, Montedio Yamagata 4
- Brabrand 1, Thisted 1
- Freiburg II 3, Hoffenheim II 0
- Frem 1, Fremad Amager 0
- Lens 2, Sporting Charleroi 2
- Mechtersheim 2, Astoria Walldorf 5
- Skive 0, VSK Aarhus 1
- Sonnenhof Großaspach 2, Darmstadt 98 7
- Radomiak Radom 2, Anorthosis 3
- Brønshøj 2, HIK 2
- Dynamo Dresden 1, Energie Cottbus 2
- FA 2000 2, Rosengård 0
- Fulham 0, Norwich City 2
- Harrogate Town 2, Doncaster Rovers 2
- Heerenveen 4, OH Leuven 4
- Holstein Kiel II 3, Eimsbütteler TV 1
- Kolos Kovalivka 2, Chornomorets 1
- Næstved 1, B 93 1
- Paderborn 0, Magdeburg 2
- Rot-Weiss Essen 1, Borussia M’gladbach 2
- Sparta Rotterdam II 2, AZ II 3
- ZFC Meuselwitz 3, Barockstadt Fulda-Lehn. 3
- Dunkerque 1, Westerlo 3
- Hamburger SV 3, Heidenheim 1
- Augsburg 1, Saarbrücken 1
- Hannover 96 II 3, Havelse 1
- Hansa Rostock II 0, Todesfelde 3
- Hanwell Town 0, Aldershot Town 2
- Kaiserslautern II 1, Bonner SC 0
- Karpaty Lviv 5, Veres Rivne 1
- Köln II 1, FSV Frankfurt 2
- Metz 3, Fortuna Sittard 1
- Paderborn II 5, VfB Oldenburg 1
- Reims 3, Cercle Brugge 0
- Rödinghausen 2, Hessen Kassel 1
- Scarborough Athletic 0, Barnsley 2
- Schwarz-Weiß Rehden 5, Jeddeloh 2
- Stuttgarter Kickers 1, Jahn Regensburg 2
- TSV Steinbach 2, Sportfreunde Siegen 8
- Willem II 1, Mechelen 0
- Wormatia Worms 3, Sandhausen 6
- Dordrecht 2, Al Khaleej 2
- Zulte Waregem 3, Sparta Rotterdam 2
- Angers 2, Créteil 1
- Hereford 0, Solihull Moors 3
- Hollenbach 0, Stuttgart 5
- Kickers Offenbach 1, Bayer Leverkusen 3
- Moyola Park 2, Crusaders 1
Source: bbc.com
