Yes, the match actually got played. The U23s fixture, which had originally been scheduled for the beginning of September, finally took place 221 days later after a number of postponements. The matchday 6 fixture was a contest between the fifth placed side away at the eighth placed team in the division. Neither of the two teams were able to wring for themselves a clear advantage in a tight encounter. Verl were able to equalise during injury team in the second half after Sören Dieckmann had given BVB the lead in the first.

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The hosts from East Westphalia made the better start to the game. Verl had more possession during the opening minutes of the match, and after a good four minutes, the first shot on goal as well. However, Daniel Schaal's effort went just wide of Dominik Reimann's goal. The Borussia boys required just under 10 minutes to get into their typical offensive groove. After excellent combination play via Pavlidis and Hanke, Sören Dieckmann was the man who rifled home from 16 metres out, giving goalkeeper Brüseke no chance of making the save to notch up a 1-0 lead for BVB.

The host team began to spend greater periods in Dortmund's half midway through the first lot of 45 minutes. They came very close to scoring in the 24' minute, when a shot from distance was mere centimetres wide of the Dortmund goal. Spurred on by a raucous crowd of BVB supporters, coach Jan Siewert's team played their way into the ascendancy towards the end of the first passage of play, if not by much. There were too few shots in goal once in the final third, though playing on a poor surface, BVB combined dangerously going in the direction of Verl's goal. The best example of such play came in the form of a chance for Philipp Hanke in the 43' minute of play, but it came to nothing in the end.

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BVB emerged from the dressing room unchanged for the second half, but were forced into a substitution in the 54' minute due to injury. Paterson Chato replaced Denzeil Boadu. The game opened up in front of 1433 spectators in the Sportclub Arena during the second half. SC Verl had a great opportunity to equalise in the 65' minute, but Dominik Reimann came out on top in a one-on-one situation against Viktor Maier. To Herbert Bockhorn fell the next chance on goal for BVB, around 20 minutes before the end of the match, but his shot went just past the outside of the post because of an uneven pitch. The game now became more hectic, and both teams were making erroneous passes in their build-up play.

There was more danger in store for SC Verl in the 79' minute. After a free kick had been delivered by Massimo Ornatelli, Philipp Hanke tried his luck at converting a wicked bouncing ball from 25 metres out, though his effort was just wide of the hosts' upright. BVB were gifted plenty of room for counterattacking moves at this late stage of the game with Verl chucking every man forward. Marzullo, who had been sent on as a substitute, popped up unmarked in front of Dominik Reimann, but found only the post with his shot. Patrick Choroba went one better in the second minute of injury time, taking the game to 1-1 with an unstoppable shot. 

The Black and Yellows soldier on this coming Sunday. They play SC Wiedenbrück at home in the Rote Erde Stadium at 14:00 CEST.

Timo Lammert