At first, it’s a tough game against Köln. Then Maximilian Beier gives BVB a late 1-0 victory. The analysis.

It was the sixth minute of stoppage time when the south stand exploded in the Dortmund rain: pyrotechnics, cheering, ecstasy! Maximilian Beier, who came on as a substitute in the 68th minute, crowned himself man of the match and secured Borussia Dortmund a late but deserved 1-0 (0-0) victory over 1. FC Köln thanks to a superior second half. BVB thus continues its impressive home winning streak.

For a long time, it looked like it was going to be a goalless evening. After an unconvincing first half and a flurry of chances in the second, it took a corner from Julien Ryerson, Fabio Silva missing the finish, and Maximilian Beier finally pushing the ball past FC keeper Marvin Schwäbe into the goal.

However, the focus before the game was on someone else entirely: Said El Mala. The 19-year-old Cologne talent had slipped into the FC starting lineup after Jan Thielmann was ruled out. BVB coach Niko Kovac knew in advance what his team could expect: “The youngster has already shown some great things. We know exactly what he’s capable of.” It didn’t take Kovac and his team long to realize that the 19-year-old was not intimidated by the big crowd at Signal Iduna Park: the youngster won two corners in the first 300 seconds.
Carney Chukwuemeka returned to the starting lineup for BVB after a convincing performance in the Champions League match against Copenhagen. With his creativity and flair, he was expected to liven up Dortmund’s midfield, as Niko Kovac emphasized before the game. The BVB coach emphasized that he currently wanted to “rotate” the squad, which is why Jobe Bellingham was once again on the bench.

BVB rarely came up with any bright ideas, at least in the early stages. El Mala, on the other hand, had a chance to make it 1-0 in the 19th minute: after receiving a pass from Marius Bülter, he started down the left side but then hesitated too long. It was also thanks to the onrushing Rami Bensebaini that the low shot ultimately went wide of the right post. Is the Cologne prodigy showing nerves after all? How human. Serhou Guirassy (15th minute) tested Marvin Schwäbe with a volley and Pascal Groß, who also returned to the starting lineup, with a messy direct attempt (22nd minute), but they did not pose any major challenges for the FC goalkeeper. The first half was in the hands of Cologne – or at the feet of El Mala. Much had been said about Serhou Guirassy in recent days. The striker had been struggling lately and had not been able to inspire the BVB fans as he had done last season. Against FC, the Guinean did not always show his best side either. But his fellow striker Karim Adeyemi also failed to shine on Saturday evening. Plenty of chances for BVB – only the goal was missing. What words did BVB coach Niko Kovac find at half-time? The right ones. When the whistle blew for the second half, BVB’s lead was in the air. Whether it was Guirassy, who went down before a quick throw-in from Daniel Svensson and a clever cross from Pascal Groß could reach him (52′), a sharp direct attempt by the striker (53’/62′) after a pass from Felix Nmecha, or a shot from Nmecha himself (60′), BVB applied pressure but lacked efficiency in front of goal. Whether it was a header from close range by captain Nico Schlotterbeck (68′) or a free kick cross from Julien Ryerson (77′), nothing worked from any position or distance.

While coach Kovac tried to spur his team on from the sidelines and brought on fresh legs in the form of Fabio Silva (79′), Julian Brandt (85′) and Jobe Bellingham (85′), BVB continued to struggle in front of the Cologne goal.

Injury to Cologne’s Timo Hübers

There were some unpleasant scenes at the end of the game: Timo Hübers remained on the pitch after a tackle with Serhou Guirassy, and his teammates immediately signaled that the Cologne defender, who was clutching his knee in pain, was unable to continue. He was carried off the field on a stretcher with his jersey covering his face – it didn’t look good. In the end, Maximilian Beier scored the late winner. A tough evening for Cologne.