Borussia Dortmund's U19s had to settle for a 0-0 draw at VfL Bochum. However, coach Mike Tullberg's side still managed to draw level on points with league leaders 1. FC Cologne, who slipped to a 2-0 defeat in the local derby at Viktoria Cologne.

BVB managed to keep a clean sheet for the fifth time in a row in a competitive match, once again rewarding themselves for excellent defensive work by the entire team. On the other hand, poor finishing has been a recurring theme throughout the season. In Bochum, too, coach Mike Tullberg once again complained about not being clinical enough in front of goal. "Julian Rijkhoff has scored ten goals so far, then Paris Brunner comes next with two. We lack a bit of quality up front. We will continue to work on that, but the team played a good derby today," the head coach summed up.

Ayukayoh Mengot enjoyed the first chance on goal early on in the game against BVB’s neighbours, but only hit the post with a misplaced cross. After that, the quick Samuel Bamba took centre stage. First, after a combination between Julian Rijkhoff and Paris Brunner, he fired the ball just over the crossbar when very well placed in the 23rd minute. Shortly before the break, he was denied by Finn Kotyrba in the Bochum goal.

The second half proved much less eventful and the game continued in this vein. Ayukayoh Mengot ran into the Bochum penalty area unchallenged, but hesitated too long and a defender picked the ball off his foot in the 52nd minute. Vasco Walz failed to hit the target with a first time shot in the 64th minute. And a little later, when everyone was expecting a penalty for a foul on Bamba, the referee moved the scene of the offence outside the penalty area. BVB enjoyed the vast majority of chances so Tullberg could not find fault in his team’s performance: "I even have to praise them for a very focussed and controlled game, we just lacked a bit of luck in certain situations. The character of the lads is top drawer."

To close out the calendar year, Borussia face a surprisingly strong MSV Duisburg side on Sunday 4 December at 11:00 CET. Before that, Nnamdi Collins, Julian Rijkhoff and Samuel Bamba will all go on the tour of Asia with the first team squad. "We are happy for them because they have earned and worked hard for this. On the other hand, we only have one training session together before the Duisburg game. But we'll manage to cope with that too," said Mike Tullberg confidently.

BVB: Kirsch – Mane, Collins, Cisse, Blank (66, Korzynietz) – Mengot (66, Simic), Walz, Ludwig, Bamba – Rijkhoff – Brunner (66, Lubach)