Two days after returning to training at the start of 2022, coach Enrico Maassen and his U23 side took to the pitch for their first mid-season friendly. The Black & Yellows deservedly ran out 2-1 winners in Deventer against Dutch top-flight outfit Go Ahead Eagles, with Bradley Fink and Ole Pohlmann scoring the goals for BVB.

"I am very happy with the way my team played," said a delighted Enrico Maassen after the match. His charges had dominated proceedings for large swathes of the match. BVB often played an intense pressing game all across the pitch and put their opposition under pressure as a result. The reward was a first senior goal for Bradley Fink, who – along with fellow A-Junior players Göktan Gürpüz, Abdoulaye Kamara and Dennis Lütke-Frie – has been training with the U23s since the turn of the year. Even though the home side equalised only a short while later in the first half, it was a good overall performance by the 11 Black & Yellows.  

Despite the 10 changes, the new faces continued where their first-half team-mates had left off before the break. But several chances were needed before Ole Pohlmann managed to score the deserved winner for BVB in injury time. For BVB coach Maassen, it was "a deserved victory that will give us momentum". The team now have a few days off before preparing for the next friendly against Alemannia Aachen on Tuesday.  

First half: Drljaca - Thaqi, Pfanne, Papadopoulos - Bueno, Kamara, Raschl, Bornemann - Fink, Taz, Tachie

Second half: Drljaca - Finnsson, Maloney, Bafounta - Pohlmann, Lütke-Frie, Hober, Viet - Njinmah, Gürpüz, Tattermusch