The Borussia Dortmund women's football team have won their first league game of 2023 3-1 (2-1) at Rot Weiss Ahlen. Amid difficult pitch conditions at the Weserstadion, Ann-Katrin Lau, Marie Grothe and Mandy Reinhardt scored for the Black & Yellows.

"A dirty win is fitting for both the pitch and the result today," said Ann-Katrin Lau in summary of the match. Coach Thomas Sulewski's charges had a hard time settling into the game on the battered turf at the Wersestadion, the venue where Marco Reus and Kevin Großkreutz once started their professional careers. But the first real shot at goal found the net. Mandy Reinhardt nicely teed up Lau, who cut into the box from the right and fired a low effort into the far corner (21).

The delight lasted only three minutes, however, with Hamza Maria Acar exploiting a moment of carelessness in the BVB defence to equalise. The Black & Yellows continued to try to control the game on the bumpy surface but it was a corner that put them back in front: Vanessa Kuhl's delivery towards the near post was headed home by Marie Grothe (31).

The pitch at the Wersestadion continued to make it difficult to play football in the second half. Sulewski's team looked much more dominant and in control following a switch to two forwards, but they carelessly squandered a range of opportunities to put the game to bed early. The breakthrough came in the 71st minute when Mandy Reinhardt slid in to meet a low cross from Lau and poke the ball into the net with an outstretched leg.

"It was the hard-fought game we'd been expecting on a difficult surface against a team that demanded everything of us. It could've been two goals more in the end, but the win is completely fair," was coach Sulewski's conclusion.

The highlight in the Westfalenpokal is coming up on Wednesday 8 March, with the Black & Yellows set to take on VfL Bochum in a quarter-final clash at the Youth Stadium in Brackel at 19:30 CET. "There's huge excitement. It's going to be an amazing game. We're well prepared and will throw everything at it," said Lau, looking ahead to the cup tie. Standing tickets will be available from the ticket office on the night.

BVB women: Schröer – Hentrich, Jung, Glänzer, Klemann – Becker – Lau (Billig, 78), Zabell (Rogge-Herper, 83), Grothe, Kuhl (Fälker, 78) – Reinhardt (Kaul, 88)

Goals: 1-0 Lau (21), 1-1 Acar (24), 2-1 Grothe (31), 3-1 Reinhardt (71)

(df)