Bundesliga
Felix Nmecha hit a second-half double for new club Borussia Dortmund after Julian Brandt had earlier given the Black-and-Yellows the lead in their final pre-season friendly against Ajax.
Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Ajax
Goals: 1-0 Brandt 6' (assist: Hummels), 1-1 Brobbey 7' (assist: Bergwijn), 2-1 F. Nmecha 54' (assist: Haller), 3-1 F. Nmecha 60' (assist: Bensebaini)
The attention on BVB's Sebastien Haller prior to kick-off was understandable, given that the Dortmund striker had moved to the Signal Iduna Park from Ajax just last year. Yet it was two of BVB's older guard who combined to create the game's first goal. Dancing up the left flank like a young winger, old-hand Mats Hummels looked nothing like a veretan centre back when hitting a fine outside-of-the-boot pass toward the near post where the evergreen Brandt was wating to knock home from close range. The home celebrations didn't last long, however. Seconds later, Brian Brobbey was allowed to step away from BVB's back line before nodding home Steven Bergwijn's in-swinger from the left.
Teams
Dortmund: Meyer - Bensebaini, Süle, Hummels, Ryerson - Sabitzer, Can (c), Brandt - Reus - Malen, Haller
Subs: Lotka, Ozcan, Nmecha, Hazard, Wolf, Moukoko, Pohlmann, Bueno, Papadopoulos, Bamba
Out: Bynoe-Gittens (shoulder), Duranville (hamstring), Kobel (muscular), Meunier (muscular), Morey (muscular), Reyna (leg), Schlotterbeck (knee)
Coach: Edin Terzic
Ajax: Rulli - Rensch, Aertssen, Hato, Salah-Eddine - Tahiorivic, Kudus, Taylor - Brobbey, Klaassen (c), Bergwijn
Subs: Gorter, Ramaj, Wijndal, Van den Boomen, Forbs, Medic, Rasmussen, Daramy, Vos, Berghuis, Hlynsson, Gooijer
Out: Fitz-Jim (ankle), Kaplan (knee), Pasveer (hand), Van Axel Dongen (knock)
Coach: Maurice Steijn
As it happened ...
That's it! Borussia Dortmund have completed a superb pre-season campaign with a 3-1 victory against Ajax. A Felix Nmecha double combined with Julian Brandt's opener sends BVB into the new season with an unbeaten record in pre-season. Cologne await the Black-and-yellows on Bundesliga Matchday 1 on 19 August. Prior to that, Edin Terzic's side kick off their DFB Cup challenge against TSV Schott Mainz.
Brobbey sends Guille Bueno flying and that'll be a booking for the Ajax forward.
Moukoko presses hard inside the area and forces Devyne Rensch to slide in and pass back towards his own goal. This is going in, until Jorrel Hato saves his teammates blushes with a last-gasp clearance.
The BVB keeper does tremendously well to stop Brian Brobbey after the Ajax forward raced clear on the break. Meyer is down holding his head momentarily after colliding with Brobbey but the keeper is eventually back on his feet and good to continue.
Yellow card for Ajax's Van den Boomen, who goes in knee on knee against Hazard.
Ajax have been pressing in these past few minutes and the visitors have carved open a few decent chances. BVB keeper Alexander Meyer had made a solid stop from Bergwijn while Medic headed when when well placed moments before.
Ramy Bensebaini is going off to fantastic applause. Dortmund's new full back has excelled in this game.
A triple substitution from BVB recently but it's Felix Nmecha who is continuing to shine since his introduction. The former Wolfsburg forward has had a couple more efforts at goal as he goes in search of his hat-trick. The first was deflected away while the second just missed the far post.
What a 15 minutes for Felix Nmecha! Bensebaini takes possession out on the left and feeds Nmecha. The striker dummies to his left, sending a couple of defenders and the goalkeeper jumping one way, and simply pokes the ball down the middle for 3-1. Calmly done by BVB's new forward.
He's only been on the pitch since the start of the second half but Felix Nmecha has already put Dortmund 2-1 up. Bensebaini cuts a lovely pass in for Haller and the striker, who has his back to goal, sets up Nmecha for a low strike that rolls into the net.
Ajax threaten at one end but it's BVB who look the more dangerous at the other, especially when Bensebaini and Malen exchange passes and the Dutchman prods narrowly wide at the near post.
Fine work by Malen down the right and he picks out Haller, against whom the ball strikes and bobbles wide.
The second half is underway ...
A decent first 45 minutes in which BVB took an early lead through Julian Brandt's tap in following some fine work from Mats Hummels. Ajax equalised soon afterwards via Brian Brobbey's header. Evenly poised at the break.
A lovely hit from Marco Reus, who controls and then slaps a volley high at the target. Geronimo Rulli dives back and palms that one over the top.
Another super delivery from Brandt - this time from a set-piece on the right - and Hummels gets up to power a header over the crossbar.
Malen bursts away and he's making plenty of ground, until Mohammed Kudus stops the attacker's run with a heft challenge. Yellow card.
Oooh, the big striker will feel he should have hit the target after Reus tapped an inviting pass forward. As it was, the former Ajax man thrashed over the bar after holding his man off. Very good chance.
Brandt sends a couple of whipped crosses in from the left. Both cause some serious danger while the latter leads to a corner. There are appeals from the BVB players for a handball following the set-piece but the referee waves play on.
At the other end, Alexander Meyer makes a very good save from Brobbey, whose shot was wickedly deflected. The game is alive again after a bit of a lull.
Superb play from Ryerson who gets to the end line and cuts back for Reus. The ex BVB captain batters a shot at the goal but Geronimo Rulli can make the save.
It looks more mid November than August here in Dortmund. Grey skies and rain, although that's not preventing the fans from making plenty of noise.
Dortmund are sitting deep as Ajax ratchet up the pressure yet the hosts are like a coiled spring, waiting to counter through Brandt, whoo looks particularly menacing here.
Ajax's Kenneth Taylor goes in a little too hard on Sabitzer and the referee gives the visiting midfielder a talking to.
After an electric start, both sides are passing the ball around calmly now as they search for openings.
The celebrations inside the Signal Iduna Park are short lived as Bergwijn finds space and crosses for Brobbey who heads in. That was sleepy defending from the hosts.
Marcel Sabitzer tested the Ajax goalkeeper's reflexes early on and Dortmund kept up that pressure. Hummels, down the left, played in a superb outside-of-the-boot pass for Brandt who tapped in at the near post for 1-0.
The ball is rolling on what looks set to be a very exciting game ...
Both sides make their way out onto the pitch and we're all set for kick-off in Dortmund.
Meyer - Bensebaini, Süle, Hummels, Ryserson - Sabitzer, Can (c), Brandt – Reus – Malen, Haller
Lotka, Özcan, Nmecha, Hazard, Wolf, Moukoko, Pohlmann, Bueno, Papadopoulos, Bamba
Rulli - Rensch, Aertssen, Hato, Salah-Eddine - Tahiorivic, Kudus, Taylor - Brobbey, Klaassen (c), Bergwijn
Gorter, Ramaj, Wijndal, Van den Boomen, Forbs, Medic, Rasmussen, Daramy, Vos, Berghuis, Hlynsson, Gooijer