The frustration has been banished, but the critics have not been appeased: Borussia Dortmund are, however, spared further uncomfortable discussions about an early exit from the title race. Two weeks after the much-discussed defeat at Union Berlin (1:2), coach Nuri Sahin‘s team achieved a lackluster 2:1 (1:0) win over promoted team FC St. Pauli. Thanks to goals from Ramy Bensebaini (43rd minute) and Serhou Guirassy (83rd) in front of 81,365 spectators in the sold-out Signal Park, BVB climbed to fourth place, at least for one day. However, the appearance was only of limited use as encouragement for the new edition of the last Champions League final on Tuesday (9 p.m.) at Real Madrid.
Although Hamburg suffered their fifth defeat in their seventh game of the season, they still scored their first away goal of the season. They also proved to be uncomfortable opponents and were close to a draw after Eric Smith’s equalizer (78th) – but the brilliant long-range shot from the outside of the instep at what felt like 200 km/h was not rewarded.
After the disappointing performance in Berlin, the international break felt painfully long for Dortmund. This is one of the reasons why the will to make amends was great. Guirassy had a great chance to take the lead in the sixth minute when he was denied by guest keeper Nikola Vasilj from close range after a nice pass from Julian Brandt. However, this would remain the only truly dangerous scene for a long time. Despite the significant advantages in possession, Borussia found it difficult to create further scoring opportunities.
Stable coverage for the guests is enough against pale and unimaginative Dortmund
The guests were able to rely on their stable defense in this phase. The emphatically defensive tactics almost paid off. After Emre Can lost the ball, Oladapo Afolayan seemed to be on his way to making it 1-0 for Hamburg, but was prevented from scoring by Bensebaini at the last second. This opportunity encouraged St. Pauli to free itself more and more from its grip. It was almost worth it. BVB narrowly escaped falling behind before the video assistant canceled Morgan Guilavogui’s supposed goal (30th) because it was offside.
Despite their increased attacking efforts, the visitors’ defensive stability was not lost for a long time. Borussia seemed increasingly helpless, but still celebrated their lead two minutes before the break. Bensebaini’s first goal of the season was like a relief for them. After a cross from national player Pascal Groß, the full-back skillfully headed the ball into the net. Regardless of the deficit, St. Pauli continued to rely on defense after the restart. And as in the first half, BVB found it difficult to break through the bulwark. Only when Brandt’s long-range shot was parried by Vasilj (58′) was there any danger of scoring.
As the playing time increased, however, the constant pressure became a problem for the guests. When Guirassy (64′) was again denied by Valsilj and Donyell Malen narrowly missed the ball from Jamie Gittens’ cross a few seconds later, the visitors’ defense began to falter. Because BVB missed the early decision, the guests sensed their chance. A great long-range shot from Smith (78th) gave them hope of winning a point for a short time. But BVB hit back with a header from Guirassy after a cross from Gittens (83′) and secured a well-deserved but very fortunate victory.
