The Borussia Dortmund U23s had seen their fortunes improve in recent weeks but their committed performance against SV Verl was not enough to stop them from slipping to an unlucky defeat to the league leaders, who had a full squad at their disposal.

Coach Mike Tullberg was able to call on defender Leonardo Balerdi, who had returned from international duty with Argentina in time for the match, while midfielder Kolbeinn Finnsson was back too but began on the bench.

The hosts delivered an aggressive and combative performance from the off, attacking the Black & Yellows early and putting them under pressure. But it was BVB who had the first chance when Tobias Raschl won the ball back in midfield and played a long pass to Morey, who in turn found Boyamba. His effort was ultimately denied by the Verl goalkeeper, however, and it was instead the East Westphalians who took the lead a minute later following a long ball down the right side of the BVB defence. The referee waved away the appeals for offside and the SC Verl striker Zlatko Janjic scored with a curling effort into the far corner. Eric Oelschlägel did not stand a chance.

The Verl players sat back in the period that followed, allowing a BVB side featuring Tobias Raschl at the heart of midfield to take control on what was a soggy surface. But while the visitors combined at will in midfield, there were several occasions when either the final pass was lacking or a Verl player threw themselves in the way in a desperate attempt to keep their lead intact. A notable example came when Magnus Kaastrup broke through down the left and cut into the box but was then denied at the last second by an outstretched leg. At the other end, sloppiness in possession repeatedly put the visitors in jeopardy and gifted the hosts chances.

Having gone in at the break a goal down, the Black & Yellows once again seized the intiative after the half-time interval and soon created their first opportunity. Joseph Boyamba broke through brilliantly on the right flank but was denied from close range by the outstanding reactions of the East Westphalian side's shot-stopper. Coach Mike Tullberg's charges continued to have much more of the ball, but the league leaders repeatedly launched dangerous counter-attacks. Dortmund, meanwhile, were no longer carving out opportunities against a well-versed home defence which – as they had done in the first half – showed great desire and battled hard. The misery was compounded when they doubled their lead in the 79th minute, Ron Schallenberg scoring following an attack down the BVB left.

But with 1,500 spectators watching on – a record attendance for SC Verl this season – Dortmund did not give up and continued to try their luck. Ultimately, though, the Black & Whites of Verl are top the table for a reason and they barely gave the visitors a sniff of goal. In fact, BVB might have lost by more had it not been for a string of saves by shot-stopper Oelschlägel. In the end, though, it was a 2-0 defeat for captain Boyamba and his team-mates.

BVB: Oelschlägel – Bünning (Finnsson, 80), Ruprecht, Balerdi, Morey – Raschl, Führich (Hober, 76), Duman, Kaastrup (Wanner, 67), Boyamba, Tigges.