An injury-ravaged Borussia Dortmund U23s side fell to a 2-1 (2-1) defeat to SV Sandhausen at the Rote Erde stadium on Matchday 13. The game had started well for BVB. 

The scenario: Borussia Dortmund’s U23s had regained confidence with an impressive 3-1 win in Mannheim last time out. The Black and Yellows had won four of their last seven games, losing only once in that period. The away side had parted company with head coach Danny Galm after only one win from their past five games. Jens Keller took charge, bringing Bundesliga experience to the team.

Personnel matters:  Dortmund coach Jan Zimmermann had to do without eight players due to injury. In addition, there were two suspensions from the Mannheim game: Antonios Papadopoulos had picked up his fifth yellow card, while Rodney Elongo-Yombo had seen a second yellow and subsequent red card in that game. In better news, Thomas Meunier was back in the starting line-up for the first time this season. The first team right-back was looking to get some vital match practice with the U23s after a length spell on the sidelines due to injury. Franz Roggow and Abdoulaye Kamara joined him in the starting line-up. 

The match: The game started well from Dortmund’s perspective: a long ball from Guille Bueno found Ole Pohlmann, who took the ball down well. He found Julian Hettwer at the far post to give Dortmund a 1-0 lead with just 9 minutes on the referee’s watch. It was the youngster’s fourth goal of the season. Just two minutes later, Pohlmann was inches away from doubling his side’s lead. He got on the end of Meunier’s cross, but his effort sailed over the bar. However, the away side came up with a quick response to the early setback. When Rouwen Hennings sent in a free-kick from halfway into the BVB half, Ben Balla stepped on Kamara Yassin’s heel. Dead ball specialist Hennings kept his composure to make it 1-1 on 16 minutes.

However, the Black and Yellows did not allow the equaliser to throw them off their game. Hettwer and Pohlmann in particular caused the SVS back line problems with their fast runs in behind. And Meunier also repeatedly stormed down the right-hand side to get involved with the BVB attacks. However, despite Dortmund’s best efforts, they struggled to create dangerous opportunities. Sandhausen took the lead out of nowhere: Falko Michel was initially able to clear a Hennings corner, but the ball landed at the feet of Jonas Weik, whose shot from distance took a big deflection off teammate Max Geschwill to give the away side a surprise 2-1 lead on 36 minutes. Once again, goalkeeper Marcel Lotka had no chance in the BVB goal.

Dortmund came out of the half-time break with renewed vigour, but still struggled to play their way through the deep Sandhausen defence in the final third. Hettwer tried his luck from distance on 50 minutes, but to no avail. 

After a good hour, coach Zimmermann brought on fresh legs in the form of Ted Tattermusch, Jermain Nischalke and Samuel Bamba to breathe new life into the game, but it took a while before they created anything in front of goal. Bamba had done well down the right wing with a body feint before teeing up Michael Eberwein. However, the veteran, who was helping out in the heart of the BVB attack due to the many injury absences, hesitated a little too long and his shot was charged down in the 72nd minute.

Bamba was the brightest spark in the Black and Yellow side, and on 78 minutes, he tried his luck from range, before the 19-year-old set up Eberwein, who missed a great chance to make it 2-2 with 79 minutes on the watch. Dortmund fought passionately and threw everything forward in search of an equaliser. This invited the away side to strike on the counter-attack, but they were guilty of the odd sloppy pass, meaning it remained tense until the final whistle. However, BVB only created one more real opportunity, when SVS goalkeeper Rehnen tipped a Bamba shot over the crossbar in injury time. 

Head coach Jan Zimmermann: “We made two or three unnecessary mistakes today, which were punished. Actually, we had the game well under control. We also played really well for extended periods of the second half, but today we were lacking the final ball. I can’t fault the lads in terms of how they played and fought, but we were lacking that last bit of guile today. We were definitely the better team, apart from a few chances on the counter just before the final whistle.”

Outlook: Next up for the U23s is an away trip to FC Ingolstadt next Saturday (4 November). Kick-off in that one is at 16:30 CET.

Goals: 1-0 Hettwer (9), 1-1 Hennings (16), 1-2 Geschwill (36)

U23s: Lotka – Bueno, Blank, Pfanne, Meunier (Tattermusch, 61) – Roggow (Göbel, 85), Kamara (Nischalke, 61), Pohlmann – Hettwer (Bamba, 61), Michel (Semic, 76), Eberwein