Post-Match Report
The substitutes keep delivering
Against Werder Bremen on Friday, Maximilian Beier and Marcel Sabitzer were the only two BVB field players in head coach Niko Kovac’s starting lineup who hadn’t recently been away on international duty. For Sabitzer, it was actually his first start of the 2026–27 season.
The duo replaced Julian Ryerson as a winger and Konstantinos Karetsas in the attacking midfield role. Both players had returned from international duty carrying injuries; Ryerson wasn’t even named to the matchday roster.
In an otherwise lackluster first half, it was Beier and Sabitzer who made the biggest impact for the Black and Yellows with their shots just before halftime. Their shots in the 41st and 43rd minutes were both stopped by visiting goalkeeper Karl Hein; Sabitzer had previously sent a free kick from 27 meters just wide of the Werder goal.
Even after the break, the Austrian remained one of Borussia’s driving forces and key players; after 71 minutes on the field, he had 51 touches, covered 8.2 kilometers, and taken four shots on goal – the most of any player on the field at that point, by the way.
Kovac Praises Hard-Working Sabitzer
“I was very satisfied with his performance. He had two or three good chances. He’s an important part of the team,” said Niko Kovac, praising the 32-year-old after the match.
Sabitzer was replaced in the closing stages by Konstantinos Karetsas, who had returned to Dortmund quite worn out after four recent appearances with the Greek national team.
Just moments after the 18-year-old entered the game, the four-goal spectacle in the closing stages began. Karetsas played a part in BVB’s first goal. Before the 1-0, the young Greek player perfectly initiated BVB’s counterattack in their own stadium with a long diagonal pass to Serhou Guirassy. Guirassy then laid the ball back to Fábio Silva, who had also come on as a substitute. Silva’s shot turned out to be a perfect assist for the onrushing Daniel Svensson, who gave BVB the lead with his first goal of the season.
Particularly noteworthy: BVB’s second goal was also set up by a substitute – namely, Joey Veerman. The Dutchman, who had come on at the same time as Karetsas, took the corner kick in the 85th minute, which Nico Schlotterbeck headed home to make it 2-0.
BVB Substitutes Have Already Toothed Eight Scoring Points
For Dortmund’s substitutes, the two assists from Fábio Silva and Joey Veerman – which led to the 2-0 lead – already marked their seventh and eighth direct goal contributions in the current Bundesliga season.
BVB players who came off the bench have contributed three goals and five assists. An excellent tally that impressively underscores what head coach Niko Kovac highlighted after the match as the key takeaway from the game against Werder Bremen: “We’re going to need all our players in the coming weeks. Everyone needs minutes under their belt to keep performance levels high and ensure success.”
With no fewer than nine competitive matches in 29 days, this broad distribution of success will continue to be crucial for mastering the challenges in the Bundesliga, the UEFA Champions League, and the DFB-Pokal. Next up for BVB in the Champions League is Norwegian champion FK Bodø/Glimt (Oct. 14, 9 p.m., live on DAZN ), followed by away matches against 1. FC Union Berlin in the Bundesliga (Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m., live on Sky ) and Sabah FC in the Champions League (Oct. 20, 6:45 p.m., live on DAZN ).
Mats-Yannick Roth