Groß, Guirassy, and Adeyemi strike as Kovač’s men show early promise in pre-season warm-up; BVB next faces Juventus on August 10. (Image Source: X/Outlook)
On a damp summer evening punctuated by light showers, Borussia Dortmund continued their preseason preparations with a thrilling 3-2 win over French side Lille in their second friendly of the campaign. Under Niko Kovač, the Bundesliga giants put in a lively and dominant first-half performance, building a solid lead and holding off a late Lille fightback.
BVB wasted no time asserting themselves, with Serhou Guirassy testing Lille keeper Lucas Chevalier inside the first 90 seconds. Dortmund pressed high and moved the ball with intent, culminating in a deserved 13th-minute opener. Julian Ryerson's corner found Rami Bensebaini, whose header was stopped but poorly cleared, allowing Pascal Groß to slot in the rebound from close range.
Marcel Sabitzer nearly added a second moments later with a fierce strike, but Chevalier was up to the task again. Sabitzer then saw a long-range shot cannon off the crossbar in the 25th minute, summing up his luck on the night.
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Just before half-time, Dortmund was awarded a somewhat soft penalty when Benjamin André’s arm collided with Daniel Svensson’s head in the box. Guirassy stepped up and coolly converted from the spot to double Dortmund’s lead at the interval.
Kovač rang in the changes at half-time, introducing five substitutes, including Karim Adeyemi, Julian Brandt, and Felix Nmecha. The substitutions didn’t slow Dortmund’s attacking rhythm, with Adeyemi lively on the left flank.
Though Lille started enjoying more of the ball, Dortmund’s threat remained. At 68 minutes, Joseph Boyamba’s smart pass released Adeyemi, who calmly chipped over Lille’s substitute keeper Bodart to make it 3-1—just moments after Lille had pulled one back through Isak Bergmann Jóhannesson’s slick counter-attack finish.
With just under 10 minutes remaining, former Dortmund full-back Thomas Meunier scored against his old club, pouncing on a through ball to make it 3-2. But despite a tense final spell, Kovač’s youthful side held firm.
With two pre-season wins under their belt, Borussia Dortmund will now look ahead to a marquee clash against Juventus on August 10, followed by their DfB-Pokal opener against Rot Weiss Essen on August 18.
