Borussia Dortmund loses its first home game in the Youth League against Athletic Bilbao 0-4. First a mistake, then a man down and a lot of frustration.
At 5:23 p.m., some of the spectators at the BVB training ground looked over to the stands on their left in surprise: Was a siren going off? No, it was a Spanish fan who started a chant with the long drawn-out “Athleeeeeeetic.” The Basques, who were guests in Dortmund-Brackel, definitely sang well during the second half. After their outstanding 3-2 win at Juventus two weeks ago, Borussia Dortmund’s U19 team suffered their first setback in the Youth League. The team led by super talents Mathis Albert and Samuele Inacio lost 4-0 (0-0) to Athletic Bilbao’s academy on Tuesday afternoon in Brackel. The Basques, who were the significantly older team and, like the pros, exclusively made up of players from the region, were the expected strong opponents, extremely well trained technically. After a fairly uneventful first half, two actions shortly after the break decided the game. In the 53rd minute, Dortmund’s Luke Fahrenhorst lost the ball in midfield and Bilbao launched a counterattack. Manex Lozano finished it off coolly to take the lead – 1-0.
Just a few minutes later, Niklas König slid into captain Selton Sanchez and was shown a yellow-red card (56th minute) – the decision. Bilbao then showed their class, with goalkeeper Julien Froese making three saves, after which he was powerless.
BVB gems Inacio and Albert remained lackluster
The gems Inacio and Albert, with nine goals and six assists in nine games this season, remained lackluster, unlike in the recent game against Bilbao. As the game progressed, the fans and, at times, U19 coach Felix Hirschnagl directed their displeasure at referee Patrik Kolaric, who overlooked a clear penalty for Athletic, instead showing a yellow card for diving, but then made many small decisions that caused frustration in the black and yellow camp.
“Unfortunately, there was a moment, 10 to 15 minutes, when we weren’t there for each other,” Hirschnagl said later, clearly dissatisfied. “I went in as coach, wanted to make an offensive change, and also picked up a yellow card to wake the team up. I believe in karma in moments like that – and if you don’t stick together, you’ll get punished.”
The ultimate knockout blow came from Bilbao captain Sánchez, who easily slotted home to make it 2-0 (79′) after Jan-Luca Riedel had a huge chance to equalize. Substitutes Oyharcabal (84′) and Imga (86′) added to the scoreline in the closing stages. And the Spanish fans were able to sing joyfully. “We’ve had our struggles at some point throughout the season,” explained the coach. He added: “Today it was the result. We’ve gotten away with it a few times. Today, we just conceded. We want to learn from that. And as sorry as I am about the situation, maybe it was necessary. We have a cup game on Saturday—we have to tighten up.”