BVB: Close victory – Borussia Dortmund at least demonstrated their ability to take the game against St. Pauli

The frustration is sold, but the critic is only partially reconciled. For Borussia Dortmund, further uncomfortable discussions about an early exit from the title race remain. Two weeks after the much-discussed defeat at Union Berlin (1:2), coach Nuri Sahin's team achieved a brilliant 2:1 (1:0) win over promoted team FC St. Pauli. “It was tough. The victory was important for us. “We are happy – but also relieved,” said Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt.

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 an encouragement for the new edition of the last Champions League final on Tuesday (9 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker) at Real Madrid. The Kiezkickers had to accept their fifth defeat in their seventh game of the season and remained goalless for the fifth time, but they proved to be uncomfortable opponents and were close to a draw after Eric Smith's equalizer (78th).

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.

St. Pauli's goal was disallowed

The guests were able to rely on their stable defense in this phase. The emphasized defensive tactics almost paid off early on. After Emre Can lost the ball, Oladapo Afolayan shot on the way to 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's worth it quickly. BVB only narrowly escaped falling behind because the video assistant canceled Morgan Guilavogui's supposed goal (30th) due to an offside position.

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 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.

It was only as the playing time increased that the constant pressure became a problem for the guests. When Guirassy (64') again failed to score against Valsilj and Donyell Malen just missed the ball from Jamie Gittens' cross a few seconds later, the defense faltered.

Because BVB missed the early decision, the guests sensed their chance. A great long-range shot from Smith 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 and secured a well-deserved victory. But he was in danger again in the first minute of added time.

Adam Dzwigala had a great chance to equalize. He finished from six meters, but placed the dropkick over the goal centrally in front of the box after an extended throw-in. Lucky for BVB. Bad luck for the newly promoted team, who only got up the courage too late in the second half of the game to give Dortmund a pinprick.