The 1,292 spectators at the Stadion Rote Erde witnessed an intense Regionalliga match between the Borussia Dortmund U23s and SC Wiedenbrück. The two teams largely cancelled each other out and the game ended in a 1-1 (0-1) draw thanks to BVB defender Mory Konate's second-half leveller.

The scenario:
Hosts BVB went into this match in fourth place in the table, while visitors SC Wiedenbrück were third from bottom and in the midst of a relegation dogfight. The East Westphalians won the reverse fixture 1-0.

Personnel:
BVB coach Alen Terzic had a mostly-fit squad at his disposal, with only Jonas Hupe, Kempes Tekiela, Leon Burggraf, Tim Sechelmann and Philipp Hanke unavailable for selection. Following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Haymenn Bah-Traore made the matchday squad for the first time since 25 April 2018.

First-half highlights:
BVB looked to dominate the match from the first whistle but it was the visitors who had the first opportunity, with Bednarski firing a volley from around 20 metres out narrowly wide of the upright in the third minute. The hosts were forced into an early substitution when Marco Hober sustained an injury as he attempted a clearance in his own penalty area on the 10-minute mark and he was replaced by Herbert Bockhorn. The Black & Yellows struggled to carve open opportunities, with a long-range effort from Julian Schwermann in the 28th minute their most dangerous moment in the opening half-hour. The East Westphalians, who had the better of the game and the better goalscoring chances too, came close to taking the lead when Marco Rente made a last-ditch clearance off the line to deny Bednarski on 38 minutes. But the visitors were soon rewarded for their bold display when Bednarski beat Dortmund shot-stopper Eric Oelschlägel and the Black & Yellows traipsed off at half-time a goal down.

Second-half highlights:
There was another enforced substitution for BVB at the break with the injured Duman, a new arrival over the winter break, remaining in the changing rooms and Denzeil Boadu taking his place in central midfield. The hosts were much improved and won more challenges after the restart – with their resurgence perhaps best epitomised by a moment of brilliance by Herbert Bockhorn, who beat two players before being brought down. The ensuing free-kick was floated into the danger zone by Massimo Ornatelli and an unmarked Mory Konate headed home to make it 1-1. But the home side were then reduced to 10 men in the 64th minute when Luca Kilian, who had already been cautioned, was handed a second booking by the referee for a late tackle on a Wiedenbrück forward and the Dortmund defender headed for an early bath. Only five minutes later, however, the 10 men of BVB had a clear-cut chance to go 2-1 ahead when Boyamba went clean through on Hölscher following a free-kick from Massimo Ornatelli, only to miss with a wayward effort from close range. The visitors almost nicked a winner in stoppage time but the excellent Mory Konate blocked their last attempt and the match ended in a 1-1 draw with a point apiece.

The reaction from BVB boss Alen Terzic:
"We had a few problems at the beginning and didn't manage to put together any constructive build-up play. We were lacking in belief and made many simple errors. Lots of the key moments in the match were set-pieces. In the second half, we had a chance to steal a winner despite being a man down. In the end, we're satisfied with the point. The lads showed great spirit and that was important today."

Outlook:
The U23s are next in action against Fortuna Düsseldorf next Sunday. Kick-off at the Paul-Janes-Stadion is at 15:00 CET.

BVB U23s: Oelschlägel – Kilian, Rente, Konate, Wanner (Bah-Traore, 69) – Ornatelli, Schwermann, Hober (Bockhorn, 8) – Duman (Boadu, 46), Rizzo, Boyamba
Goals: 0-1 Bednarski (45), 1-1 Konate (53)
Notable incidents: Luca Kilian dismissed for two bookable offences (64)
Timo Lammert