Though Borussia's U19s were denied a (deserved) victory when Legia Warsaw scored a late equaliser to secure a 3-3 draw, they are still in with a chance of securing their place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Youth League. Should they win their remaining group game in Madrid against a Real side already sure of their spot in the last 16 and Sporting Lisbon drop points in Warsaw, the Black and Yellows will still finish the first round as runners-up.

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"Annoying and a shame that we couldn't see out the result," bemoaned coach Benjamin Hoffmann. The luck that had inspired Borussia to their last-minute success in Oberhausen was clearly on the side of the visitors this time out, with Sebastian Szymanski rescuing the Poles a rather fortuitous point with Legia's first and final shot on the Dortmund goal in the second 45 minutes. "We really dominated and won the tackles but were punished late on with a lapse of concentration," analysed Hoffmann. Dzenis Burnic, who had trained with the first-team for 45 minutes at lunchtime, and Luca Kilian allowed the Warsaw frontman a good shooting opportunity, leaving BVB shot-stopper William Pulisic with little chance.

BVB dominated the match in overwhelming fashion in the first 45 minutes and missed the chance to break the deadlock when Gabriel Kyeremateng failed to convert Yoel Yilma's cross in the 13th minute, then narrowly missed a pacey cross from David Kopacz four minutes later. Kopacz then hit the post after brilliant set-up play from Kyeremateng (26). "That was a really good spell," said Hoffmann in praise of his team's spectacular link-up play. However, the hosts' superiority soon ended when Szymanski struck a surprise equaliser in the 31st minute. Hoffmann analysed: "There you could see that our eight players from the younger year group still lack calm and tactical finesse." Milosz Szczepanski took advantage of Dortmund's sloppiness to give the Poles a 2-1 lead on the stroke of half-time (42).

Some structure and quality returned to Borussia's play when Amos Pieper and Jacob Bruun Larsen replaced Sören Lippert and Niklas Beste after the break, with the Poles pushed deep into their own half. Larsen in particular, supported by Orel Mangala and Dzenis Burnic, posed a real threat down the left flank, while the introduction of Pieper provided greater stability at the back. Just after the hour mark Larsen fired home an overdue equaliser with a well-placed shot from 18 metres (62), and in the ensuing period bad luck was the only thing that prevented the Black and Yellows from making their spectacular attacking play count.

Commitment and flair play not rewarded

Etienne Amenyido, who came on in place of Kyeremateng, seemed to have rewarded the hosts for their commitment and flair when he put BVB 3-2 ahead with a fine strike after being set up by Larsen (79), especially given the pressure and further chances that followed with each passing minute. But Legia put paid to Borussia's hopes of beating Sporting Lisbon – who won 3-1 against Real Madrid – into second place with their last-minute leveller.

"We need to deal with the disappointment quickly and concentrate on our important Bundesliga clash with MSV Duisburg," said Hoffmann, who had already switched his focus to Sunday. Borussia would be crowned autumn champions with a victory and will be fielding a full-strength side when that clash kicks off in Brackel at 11:00 CET.

BVB: Pulisic – Schulte, Kilian, Lippert (Pieper, 46), Beste (Larsen, 46) – Kopacz, Yilma, Burnic, Mangala, Wanner – Kyeremateng (Amenyido, 76).
Wilfried Wittke