The BVB U23s were the visitors away to Sportclub Verl on Saturday evening, ultimately running out 2-0 winners in front of a crowd of 811 spectators. BVB were particularly impressive in the second half, with goals from Herbert Bockhorn and Luca Kilian securing three deserved points. Goalkeeper Eric Oelschlägel also made a noteworthy contribution to the away victory, with several strong saves on the part of the 23-year-old ensuring that a clean sheet was kept.

The pre-match scenario:

The Borussia Dortmund U23s went into the match in 7th place in the league table. Sportclub Verl found themselves just two points behind BVB in 8th.

Personnel matters:

BVB coach Alen Terzic made two changes to the side that briefly contested the midweek match against Wuppertal, which was called off after twelve minutes. Leonardo Balerdi and Dominik Wanner came in to replace Beyhan Ametov and Haymenn Bah-Traore.

The first half:

SC Verl were the dominant side in the opening stages of the match. In the sixth minute, Daniel Detlef Hammel had a shot on goal kept out by Eric Oelschlägel. The keeper's all-important save then led directly to a counter down the other end which resulted in an opportunity for Julian Schwermann, but his effort missed the target by some distance. Just two minutes later, Oelschlägel was on hand once more to demonstrate his goalkeeping prowess, this time making two saves in quick succession to deny Aygün Yildirim. It was a lively start to the match, and in the ninth minute BVB had their next goal-scoring opportunity: Boyamba's shot on goal was however deflected away for a corner.

The match then lost some of its spark, with misplaced passes and mistakes creeping in to both sides' play. With half an hour played, Denzeil Boadu injured his foot in a challenge. The defensive midfielder was unable to carry on, with Gianluca Rizzo coming off the bench to replace him. Towards the end of the half, Sportclub were able to put BVB under pressure, with the Black & Yellows forced back deep into their own half. The defense held firm however, denying their opponents any notable goal-scoring opportunities, and so it was that the two teams went into the break with the score at 0-0.

The second half:

The first chance of the second half fell to BVB, but after being teed up by Joseph Boyamba, captain Julian Schwermann wasn't able to hit the target from close range. BVB were certainly the livelier of the two teams after returning from the dressing room. Some quick passing interchanges saw the ball moved out to wide areas, with Joseph Boyamba and Dominik Wanner looking dangerous on the right and left wings respectively. The first goal of the match would fall in the 65th minute. Joseph Boyamba worked his way to the byline and sent the ball back across the six-yard-box. An SC Verl defender was able to clear, but the ball only made it as far as the feet of Herbert Bockhorn, located about 20 metres out from goal. He took a look up and fired the ball into the far-corner to make it 1-0 to BVB.

Taking the lead came as a big relief both for the players out on the pitch as well as the coaching staff in the technical area. Borussia were now the dominant side, although SC Verl could have found an equaliser in the 70th minute: Aygün Yildirm had a chance to shoot from ten metres out, but his shot flew harmlessly wide of the mark. Two minutes later, Sportclub substitute Patrick Kurzen was denied by Oelschlägel, who had an excellent day once more. Seven minutes before the end, BVB increased their lead to 2-0. Once again it was Boyamba who was the provider, this time threading a pass to play in Kilian. The right-back beat SC goalkeeper Brüseke at his near post to give the Black & Yellows a two goal advantage. After enduring two consecutive defeats, BVB were able to celebrate their first win since the beginning of April, with the three points helping them move up a place in the league table to sixth.

Here's what BVB coach Alen Terzic had to say:

''We saw a really intense match over the 90 minutes today. I thought Verl were the better side in the first half. But then we came out much improved in the second half. We played with a lot more tempo going forward. That's what helped us score the goals in the second half. Now we can make the trip home absolutely delighted with the three points.''

Outlook:

The BVB U23s are next in action on Saturday (4 May), when they host SV Straelen in the penultimate home game of the season at the Rote Erde Stadion.

BVB U23: Oelschlägel – Kilian, Rente, Balerdi, Bockhorn – Konate, Schwermann, Boadu (33. Rizzo) – Boyamba (86. Bulut), Duman, Wanner (77. Hanke)

Goals: 0-1 Bockhorn (65.), 0-2 Kilian (83.)

Timo Lammert