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Borussia Dortmund U23s Shine in London with 4-1 Victory Over Fulham
Borussia Dortmund’s next generation made a statement in London. An almost pure U23 side, sprinkled with a couple of U19s and a handful of players with first-team experience, came from behind to beat Fulham FC’s youth team 4-1 in the Premier League International Cup.
It was a night that started with a jolt – and ended with a swagger.
Young squad, big stage
Daniel Rios travelled with a group that underlined the club’s pathway philosophy. The core was drawn from the U23s, but U19 prospects Luke Fahrenhorst and Jan-Luca Riedl were promoted into the squad for the trip. Around them, the more seasoned quartet of Mathis Albert, Kaua Prates, Luca Reggiani and Justin Lerma provided the edge of professional experience.
On paper, it looked like a developmental exercise. On the pitch, it quickly turned into a statement performance.
Early shock, rapid response
The warning signs for Fulham were there almost immediately. Within four minutes, the Black & Yellows carved out the first threat in front of the home goal, showing they were not in London just to learn.
Then came the punch in the gut.
From Fulham’s first real foray, a corner swung to the near post found striker Jose Sani. His header beat Silas Ostrzinski in the fifth minute, and BVB were suddenly chasing the game.
The goal acted like a cold shower. Rios’s side woke up, stepped higher, and began to dictate the tempo. They had problems at first picking their way through Fulham’s deep, compact block, the build-up occasionally stalling against the massed white shirts. But the direction of travel was clear: Fulham retreated, Dortmund advanced.
The pressure finally told.
In the 25th minute, Albert – already influential – dropped a superb long pass in behind. Fadi Zarqelain timed his run, took it on, and finished for a fully deserved equaliser.
Fulham barely had time to reset.
Just three minutes later, Albert turned from provider to scorer. A loose pass out of the back from the hosts fell straight to him, around 17 metres from goal. He didn’t hesitate, guiding the ball low into the net to flip the game on its head. From 1-0 down to 2-1 up in 180 seconds, the visitors had seized control.
They carried that 2-1 lead, and the momentum, into the break.
Second-half dominance
The interval did nothing to cool Dortmund’s intent. Rios’s team came out hunting the third goal, and they didn’t make the travelling effort from Germany wait long.
On 52 minutes, Takato Yamamoto whipped in a corner and Jesper Verlaat rose to meet it, forcing his header over the line for 3-1. A set piece, ruthlessly taken, and Fulham were suddenly staring at a long half-hour.
The game was slipping away from the home side. Dortmund sensed it – and twisted the knife.
Five minutes later, Justin Lerma produced the goal of the night. A brilliant solo run, cutting through the Fulham defence, ended with a composed finish for 4-1. It was the kind of moment that underlined the gap in confidence and clarity between the two teams.
The only sour note: Lerma had to leave the pitch injured shortly after his strike. His performance, though, had already left a mark on the game.
Professional finish, first points secured
From there, the title holders managed the match with maturity. They kept creating. Captain Azhil went close in the 82nd minute, Degener threatened in stoppage time (90+1'), and Ngambia almost added a fifth deep into added time (90+5').
Fulham did manage one more notable chance of their own, but Ostrzinski was equal to it, dealing calmly with the effort and preserving the three-goal cushion.
The scoreboard didn’t move again. It didn’t need to. Dortmund had done their work early in the second half and seen it out like a seasoned side, not a developmental one.
Head coach Daniel Rios summed it up afterwards: his team, he said, deserved the win, reacted strongly to the early setback, turned the game around, controlled proceedings over the full 90 minutes and created plenty of chances. He was especially pleased that this particular line-up delivered such a strong display against Fulham.
What comes next
The schedule now splits for Dortmund’s youth ranks.
Borussia Dortmund’s U19s turn their focus to domestic cup duty. They face Rot-Weiss Essen on 5 September in the DFB youth round, with kick-off at 11:00 at the training ground in Brackel.
The U23s head back into Regionalliga West action, travelling to VfB Hilden on Saturday, 29 August (14:00).
As for the Premier League International Cup, this was only the opening act. BVB’s youngsters won’t be back in that competition until 15 December, when Aston Villa await as their second group-stage opponents. If this performance in London is any indication, that date is already circled in more than a few dressing-room calendars.
