Borussia Dortmund’s U23s played out a compelling and nerve-wracking 1-1 (0-1) draw away to FC Ingolstadt. BVB goalkeeper Marcel Lotka was shown a red card in injury time.

Outlook: With just one win in their last five games (plus two draws and two defeats), the U23s came into the match having dropped a few places in the standings in recent weeks. The Black & Yellows’ tally of 19 points from 13 games positioned them in mid-table. FC Ingolstadt, who have recent experience of playing in the 3. Liga, trailed BVB by two points. In this fixture last season, Dortmund won 2-1 away from home in the second half-season, though were soundly beaten 4-0 at home earlier in the campaign.

Personnel matters: Coach Jan Zimmerman had to make do without eight players against FCI, including Antonios Papadopoulos, who was eligible to play again after his yellow-card suspension. However, the defender was forced to withdraw at short notice due to an injury in the warm-up. However, the duo of Rodney Elongo-Yombo and Patrick Göbel returned to the squad. Both moved straight into the starting XI, replacing Thomas Meunier (who rejoined the first-team squad) and Abdoulaye Kamara.

The match: The game began in a scrappy fashion and without any notable goalscoring opportunities. The home side looked to control the ball, while the U23s sat back and waited for chances to strike on the counter. However, Zimmermann’s team lacked precision any time they made it to the final third in the early stages.

Nonetheless, it was the Black & Yellows who had the first sight of goal of the game in the 13th minute: Göbel whipped in a dangerous delivery to the far-post, where Elongo-Yombo met the ball with a header which he couldn’t quite keep on target. Five minutes later, BVB were almost left with egg on their face following an attacking corner. Ingolstadt defended well and launched a rapid counter-attack which ended in a good chance for Julian Kügel, who was however unable to keep his shot down from a promising position. 

This opportunity brought the Schanzers to life, as they sought to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. However, the home side struggled to break down a combative Dortmund team – and looked vulnerable at the back on occasion. The U23s hung in there and soon capitalised on this defensive vulnerability. Elongo-Yombo played a pass forward to Julian Hettwer, who looked to be crowded out in the penalty area. However, the youngster showed great vision to lay a pass off to the onrushing Michael Eberwein. One-on-one with the goalkeeper, Eberwein kept his cool to slot the ball past Marius Funk to establish a 1-0 lead (33). However, there was little time to celebrate for BVB, as FCI responded immediately.  Kügel looked to have scored a quick equaliser, but it was chalked off for offside.

Ingolstadt started the second half with three substitutions and a new level of intensity. First Benjamin Kanuric tried his luck from long range in the 47th minute, then, two minutes later, substitute Jannik Mause tested BVB goalkeeper Marcel Lotka with a header (49). To make matters worse, Eberwein was shown his fifth yellow card of the season shortly after the restart, meaning he will miss the upcoming home game against Lübeck.

It didn’t take long for the home side to get their goal: Pascal Testroet added the finishing touch to a counter-attack after a misplaced pass by Dortmund to draw the two teams level (51). Ingolstadt didn’t give the Black & Yellows time to catch their breath; the pressure kept piling on unrelentingly.

It was not until the hour mark that BVB made their attacking presence felt again with a header from Elongo-Yombo. Although the U23s kept plugging away valiantly, they lacked accuracy in the final ball.

Down the other end, Ingolstadt continued to force the U23s to do a lot of defensive work. The attacking trio of Testroet, Mause and David Kopacz all gave Dortmund scares, as they repeatedly opened up good opportunities. On each occasion, however, either keeper Lotka or a defender was on hand to intervene.

But a dramatic final phase was to follow. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Lotka tried to clear a long ball, but instead he hit the onrushing Mause just outside the penalty area. Referee Bacher showed the goalkeeper the red card. As BVB had already used up all their substitutions, Franz Pfanne had to go in goal to defend the free-kick. However, the shot ended up in the wall.

Coach Jan Zimmermann: “We put in a really good away performance, with a few ups and downs. Unfortunately, we conceded another cheap goal, which came from an individual mistake. But we played really well at times, the last quarter of an hour in particular. I had the feeling that we were closer to getting the winner than Ingolstadt, although we repeatedly gave them chances to counter-attack. It was another very important game for our development.”

Outlook: The U23s are back in action on Saturday (11 November), when they host VfB Lübeck. Kick-off is once again scheduled for 16:30 CET.

Goals: 0-1 Eberwein (34), 1-1 Testroet (51)

Red cards: Marcel Lotka (90+6)

U23: Lotka – Bueno, Blank, Pfanne, Göbel – Roggow, Eberwein (90, Suver), Pohlmann (90, Tattermusch) – Hettwer (59, Kamara), Elongo-Yombo, Michel (78, Bamba)
Phillip Oldenburg