The Borussia Dortmund U23 celebrates a point against 1.FC Saarbrücken after a sacrificial fight. It was only in the final minutes that the home side were finally beaten.
After two consecutive victories against promotion contenders in the 3rd division, Borussia Dortmund II held on to the next three points for a long time on Friday evening against 1. FC Saarbrücken. But despite an early card, the guests still managed to equalize 1:1 in the final phase.
The opening stages were characterized by high tempo and aggressive pressing. It was a bad start for the BVB second team. In a tackle just outside his own box, Falko Michel lifted his leg well above the ground, catching Julian Günther-Schmidt full in the head – red! The Saarbrucken player only returned to the pitch after a long treatment break.
The visitors then took control of the game, but failed to create any really dangerous chances. A pinprick from the home side was enough to turn the game on its head again. BVB keeper Silas Ostrzinski hit the ball long to Elongo-Yombo, who hammered the ball from a good 35 meters out with the help of the crossbar right into the heart of the Saarbrücken defense (26′ ). Despite being a man down, BVB put a lot into the game and therefore often fell behind. Kai Brünker just missed (38th) and Marcel Gaus tried with force instead of precision (45th). The home side thus saved themselves with a 1-0 lead at half-time.
The home side continued to show courage in the second half and looked for a way forward – which opened spaces for the guests. A cross from the left found Günther-Schmidt, who got to the ball a few meters ahead of Ostrzinski to head it. However, the BVB goalkeeper was not challenged. Just a few minutes later, Julian Hettwer had the 2-0 on his shoe. The former Duisburg player asserted himself strongly and failed from a narrow angle against Tim Stanislaw Schreiber (64.).
Saarbrücken ran out of time and seemed increasingly at a loss the longer the game lasted. The U23 of Borussia Dortmund worked passionately and had Ostrzinski, a goalkeeper in the box, who was wide awake. After Boeders powerful shot from the second row, the 20-year-old stretched and defused (72nd). On the opposite side, BVB did not take advantage of a great chance. Ayman Azhil, who came from the half-circle in the sixteenth, only hit the outer net.
In the final quarter of an hour, Saarbrücken increased the pressure enormously. Dortmund hardly had any opportunities to relieve the pressure. In the 86th minute, the long-awaited equalizer was scored from the guests’ point of view. Manuel Zeitz scored with his head to make it 1-1. BVB’s U23 managed to hold out for the 1-1 and had to settle for a point in the end.
Next up, the black and yellows will face Viktoria Cologne in the opening match of the 25th matchday (Friday, February 9, 7:00 p.m.). 1. FC Saarbrücken, who will play Borussia Mönchengladbach in the cup this week, will host SpVgg Unterhaching.