BVB win friendly against Düsseldorf by 5-1 scoreline

For the first time since his cancer diagnosis and therefore since his arrival, Sebastien Haller made the Borussia Dortmund matchday squad. The forward was initially among the substitutes. BVB coach Edin Terzic set his starting XI up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation. The returning Mo Dahoud lined up alongside Jude Bellingham in defensive midfield. Captain Marco Reus also made his comeback following an injury layoff. Youssoufa Moukoko played as the lone striker. 

The match, which took place at the training complex in Marbella, got off to a lively start. Michael Karbownik went clean through on Gregor Kobel in the second minute, only for the goalie to get a hand to the ball. Three minutes later, the ball was in the opposition net at the other end: Marco Reus had delivered the cutback from inside the box and although Raphael Guerreiro's shot was initially blocked, Felix Passlack was on hand to slot home the follow-up and make it 1-0. The lead did not last long, however. The referee awarded a penalty kick for a foul by Thorgan Hazard, allowing Dawid Kownacki to step up and level the scores at 1-1 (7). Fortuna almost took the lead minutes later: after the Black & Yellows had lost possession of the ball in midfield, Kownacki spotted Kobel off his line and tried to lob him from his own half. But the Dortmund shot-stopper sprinted back in time and just managed to get to the ball (10). 

The game subsequently calmed down slightly. BVB had more of the play in the following period and pinned Fortuna back into their own half, but rarely found the gaps going forward. On the 25-minute mark, Reus passed the ball into the box after linking up with Hazard – but his team-mates were not well positioned. Five minutes later, Bellingham waited for the ball at the back post but put it wide of the upright. But the midfielder then helped his side take a 2-1 lead when he squared the ball level with the six-yard box and Karim Adeyemi tapped it over the line (32). 

Terzic made nine changes to the team ahead of the second half, with only Niklas Süle and Moukoko keeping their places. Substitute Donyell Malen subsequently struck the defensive wall with a free-kick (52), while Jordy de Wijs failed to take advantage of a set-piece at the other end (58). Jorrit Hendrix registered the next opportunity for the Düsseldorf outfit with a long-range effort but fired it over the target. The intensity of the first half was not replicated in the second period, with goalscoring chances few and far between.

Then came a feel-good moment in the 74th minute as Sebastien Haller was introduced from the bench in place of Moukoko to a round of applause. It was his first appearance in Black & Yellow, six months after joining the club.

A minute later, Giovanni Reyna failed to get the better of Düsseldorf shot-stopper Kastenmeier with a free-kick from 25 metres out. However, Borussia went on to increase their lead in the closing stages. After Julian Brandt had broken through nicely down the left flank, Schlotterbeck converted for 3-1 (81). Then Malen bagged a brace in the final minutes: the attacker first beat Kastenmeier in a one-on-one to make it 4-1 after being set up by Meunier (82), before rounding off the scoring with a shot into the far corner with two minutes to go before the final whistle.

BVB will play the second friendly fixture of the training camp on Friday 13/1 (15:30 CET). FC Basel will be the opponent. 

BVB 1st half: Kobel – Passlack, Süle, Hummels, Guerreiro – Dahoud, Bellingham – Adeyemi, Reus, Hazard ­– Moukoko 
BVB 2nd half: Meyer – Meunier, Schlotterbeck, Süle (Can, 62), Rothe – Brandt, Özcan – Wolf, Reyna, Malen – Moukoko (Haller, 74)

Goals: 1-0 Passlack (5), 1-1 Kownacki (pen., 7), 2-1 Adeyemi (32), 3-1 Schlotterbeck (81), 4-1 Malen (86), 5-1 Malen (88)
Christina Reinke