The Borussia Dortmund U23s have lost 2-1 away at Viktoria Berlin. Berkan Taz scored the goal to draw the Black & Yellows level, only for the capital club to snatch a winner in the 86th minute. The best news of the day from a Borussia perspective was the return to action of BVB senior player Dan-Axel Zagadou following a long spell injured. Soumaila Coulibaly made his first appearance after recovering from his cruciate ligament injury.

Personnel matters: BVB coach Enrico Maassen made four changes to his starting XI, with Stefan Drljaca, Haymenn Bah-Traore, Marco Hober and Dan-Axel Zagadou – collecting his first minutes with the U23s following his return from injury – drafted into the team. Soumaila Coulibaly also made the U23 squad for the first time.

The match & analysis: Both teams started the match on a rather cautious note. BVB had more possession, with Viktoria compactly defending their own half. The first chance of the half fell to Ted Tattermusch, who failed to reach the ball after a headed flick-on from Richmond Tachie. With the Black & Yellows lacking precision in the final third, their most dangerous moment up to that point came from a set-piece. But Berkan Taz's free-kick from 25 metres out in the 22nd minute went narrowly wide.

BVB upped the tempo midway through the first half, creating a first moment of danger from open play via a move involving Zagadou, Taz and Tachie. Only three minutes later, Ole Pohlmann fired another dangerous shot at goal. However, a Viktoria Berlin defender got the block in and turned it behind for a corner-kick (29).

The men from Berlin then turned the game on its head with their first attempt on the Dortmund goal. Enes Küc took advantage of a mistake in the build-up to make it 1-0 after 38 minutes. The Black & Yellows were not deterred by this setback, continued to attack and were rewarded three minutes before half-time with the equalising goal. Richmond Tachie teed up Berkan Taz, who prodded the ball over the line from 15 metres out to make it 1-1 heading into the break.

The home side started the second half much more courageously than they had the first period. BVB now had slightly more space in which to launch their attacks and had two attempts from distance through Raschl (55) and Taz (59). They then went really close in the 63rd minute of the match when Tachie's shot struck the side-netting. 

More than 600 days on from his previous competitive match, central defender Soumaila Coulibaly made his competitive debut for Borussia Dortmund, having recovered from a cruciate ligament injury. The 18-year-old centre-back replaced Dan-Axel Zagadou after 68 minutes, who was making his own comeback following seven months on the sidelines injured and had made a good impression on his return.

It subsequently developed into an open game, in part because Viktoria Berlin were more attack-minded. Deji Beyreuther struck the crossbar from range for the capital club (73). Substitute Cebrail Makreckis was then presented with an opportunity to give BVB the lead seven minutes from time. After Richmond Tachie had got the better of three opposing players, the ball was cleared away from the feet of the Dortmund winger on the edge of the six-yard box.

Viktoria then went down the other end to make it 2-1 almost straightaway. Lucas Falcao asserted himself in the box and scored the winning goal. It is the first time BVB have lost three games in a row under Enrico Maassen's leadership and they now sit ninth in the table.

BVB U23s: Drljaca – Bah-Traore, Zagadou (Coulibaly, 68), Hober (Krebs, 80), Tattermusch (Bornemann, 68), Taz, Tachie (Broschinski, 88), Pohlmann, Viet (Makreckis, 80), Pfanne, Raschl 

Goals: 1-0 Küc (38), 1-1 Taz (42), 2-1 Falcao (86)

Outlook: Next up for BVB is a trip to SV Meppen next Saturday. Kick-off at Stadion Rote Erde is at 14:00 CET.