Borussia’s U19s missed out on the win over Newcastle United after spurning a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2, but they still have every chance of staying in the UEFA Youth League beyond the winter. Cole Campbell (10) and Julian Rijkhoff (29) scored for the Black & Yellows.

With Paris Saint-Germain losing the other game 3-2 away to AC Milan, BVB now sit second in UEFA Youth League Group F behind AC Milan (9 points) and ahead of Paris St. Germain (6). Progression to the knockout stages will probably only be decided in the final group match against the Parisians on Wednesday 13 December. Beforehand (28 November), the Black & Yellows will travel to Milan.

Captain Kjell Wätjen and his team-mates had the win in their grasp against Newcastle. But similarly to the reverse fixture 14 days ago, the Black & Yellows allowed the English outfit back into the game in the second half. The combative visitors pulled the score back to 2-2 in the closing stages and picked up their first point of the UEFA Youth League campaign in the process. 

“We played outstandingly for 60 minutes and should’ve led 4-0 or 5-0, the opposition didn’t even have a shot at goal. We were physically totally inferior to Newcastle in the final half an hour and no longer showed Youth League maturity in defence. The substitution of Hendry Blank had a huge impact on the result,” said a disappointed Mike Tullberg. Blank complemented the first-team squad in the evening.

Borussia initially showed great concentration as they implemented Mike Tullberg’s plan to perfection. They always found the right solutions against their opponent’s high offensive pressing. The team worked compactly together in defence and made their mark in attack with quick and direct switch-play. Borussia regularly managed to play beyond the British outfit’s back line and kept Newcastle away from their own penalty box.

Campbell and Rijkhoff establish 2-0 lead

BVB clearly had the better of the chances. Like in the reverse fixture, the only reproach that could be made of the Black & Yellows was that they did not make the most of their opportunities. Danylo Krevsun failed to beat keeper Harris from a perfect position (6, 32), while Kjell Wätjen and Samuel Bamba lacked accuracy following good pieces of play (26, 35) and Cole Campbell, who was very lively in the first half, hit the side-netting in stoppage time after a strong cross from Bamba (45).

The 2-0 lead at the break did not adequately reflect their superiority. Cole Campbell had made it 1-0 after a quick throw-in from Julian Rijkhoff and a lovely mazy run past Herens and Charlton (10), before Rijkhoff doubled the lead to 2-0 after being excellently set up by Campbell (29).

Newcastle had no means of counteracting Borussia’s dominance for a long time. It was only when defender Hendry Blank made way for Tyler Meiser as agreed upon after just under an hour that the Black & Yellows found themselves in trouble. Leo Posadas prevented the visitors from pulling a goal back by making a great save on the line (61), but it did eventually happen in the 78th minute: Cathal Hefferman, who had escaped the attentions of the BVB defenders, headed in a cross from Trevan Sanusi to make it 2-1.

Substitute Paris Brunner had two opportunities to score a third goal at the other end, but overall the team lacked the precision, clarity and intensity that had set them apart in an outstanding first half. They lost not only their aerial supremacy in the penalty area, but the stability of their defensive block too. That culminated in James Huntley equalising at 2-2 in the 86th minute. Despite an energetic last throw of the dice, the scoreline remained the same. (wiwi)

Goals: 1-0 Campbell (10), 2-0 Rijkhoff (29), 2-1 Cathal Heffernan (78), 2-2 James Huntley (86)

BVB: Lisewski – Rashidi, Blank (Meiser, 59), Posadas, Korzynietz – Lubach, Wätjen – Campbell (Onofrietti, 70), Krevsun (Herrmann, 70), Bamba (Brunner, 59) – Rijkhoff