In the third match of the DFB’s special match round, Borussia’s U19s and Fortuna Düsseldorf played out a 1-1 draw. “The boys tried hard, nobody got injured – it’s all good,” coach Mike Tullberg said in summary.
His heavy-legged team, which was a colourful mix of current U17s and U19s players, dominated the game for extended periods. Fortuna took a 1-0 lead with the only promising attack of the first half, with Kassim Knelles finding the net on 14 minutes. BVB levelled the game at 1-1 immediately after the restart. Julian Rijkhoff converted a penalty after a foul on Rafael Lubach. The Black and Yellows had plenty of chances to win the game, and in the end, all that was lacking was a little bit of luck. Fortuna’s goalkeeper Simon Vu foiled BVB’s greatest chance with an outstanding save from a well-placed header by Rijkhoff in the 83rd minute.”Every player in the squad got game time and did their best. I can’t ask for any more under these conditions in terms of the personnel situation,” Tullberg explained. The U19s will play the last game of the special match round and the 2022/23 season against VfB Stuttgart next Wednesday, 24 May in the Youth Performance Centre. Kick-off is at 13:00 CET.
Kabar scores in 4-0 victory at the Euros
Meanwhile, the Dortmund boys in the German U17s national team managed to make an impressive start in the European Championship finals in Hungary. The DFB selection beat the highly rated Portuguese side 4-0 to kick off the group phase. Almugera Kabar doubled Germany’s lead to 2-0 after good build-up play from Charles Herrmann, while Paris Brunner provided the assist for the fourth and final goal. Kjell Wätjen came on in the 81st minute. “The boys have come through wonderfully and rewarded themselves with a great game,” said DFB coach Christian Wück, enthusiastically. Next up for Germany on Saturday are joint-favourites for the tournament, France..
U15s claim derby win and the Westfalenpokal
Borussia’s U15s also had cause for celebration: Peter Warzinski’s team won the Westfalenpokal thanks to a 2-0 win away at FC Schalke 04. Justin Hoy scored both goals on the day.(wiwi)