Bundesliga
Guirassy to the rescue for Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund were made to work hard by third-tier Rot-Weiss Essen in the first round of the DFB Cup on Monday, but eventually prevailed with a 1-0 win.
Rot-Weiss Essen 0-1 Dortmund
Goal: 0-1 Guirassy (79')
The match appeared to be following a predictable script initially as Niko Kovač’s side dominated, with early chances for Marcel Sabitzer and Lukas Nmecha inside the first three minutes suggesting it would be a struggle for the home side.
However, Essen weathered the early BVB storm and grew into the game as the half wore on. Kaito Mizuta had their first threatening attempt on goal just after the half-hour mark but Gregor Kobel saved well.
They should have gone into the break 1-0 up after Ramien Safi was sent clean through on goal, only for Kobel to produce a vital save to keep the game goalless.
Dortmund were too static going forward early in the second half and Essen comfortably kept them at bay.
Kovač responded by bringing on Jobe Bellingham and Julian Brandt in an attempt to inject fresh impetus, and the latter soon went close with a free-kick that curled just the wrong side of the post.
That was about as good as it got for Dortmund until the closing stages, when Serhou Guirassy decided the game after shrugging off his marker on the edge of the area and firing a low shot into the bottom corner to send BVB into the second round.
Match stats
- Dortmund's 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the Club World Cup quarter-finals ended a 10-game winning run in all competitions.
- The Black-Yellows haven't lost to German opposition since a 2-0 reverse away to RB Leipzig on 15 March. They've since won seven and drawn one, only dropping points to Bayern Munich in a thrilling Klassiker.
- Guirassy has scored 14 times in his last 12 competitive appearances.
- Essen were the very first name on the DFB Cup, when it was relaunched for the 1952/53 season. They beat Alemannia Aachen 1-0 in the first post-war final.
- Dortmund, meanwhile, are five-time winners. Only Bayern (20) and Werder Bremen (six) have won the competition more often.
- The sides met in the DFB Cup first round twice before, with Dortmund winning 3-1 in 1982 and 2009. The latter featured Robert Kovač, Niko's brother and current assistant coach.
Teams
Essen: Golz - Rios Alonso (Müsel 83'), Schultz (c), Kraulich - Hofmann, Arslan (Obuz 76'), Gjasula (Owusu 87'), Brumme (Bouebari 75') - Moustier - Safi (Martinovic 83'), Mizuta
Unused subs: Wienand, Kaiser, Swajkowski, Bazzoli
Out: Janssen (cruciate ligament), Kostka (thigh), Schulte-Kellinghaus (knee), Potocnik (muscle)
Coach: Uwe Koschinat
Dortmund: Kobel (c) - Mané, Anton, Bensebaini - Couto, Groß (Bellingham 64'), Nmecha, Sabitzer (Özcan 90'+4), Svensson - Beier (Brandt 64'), Guirassy
Unused subs: Meyer, Reyna, Adeyemi, Campbell, Kabar, Lührs
Out: Can (adductor), Duranville (shoulder), Ryerson (calf), Schlotterbeck (knee), Süle (calf)
Coach: Niko Kovač
As it happened!
0 - 1(0 - 0)
Essen
FINAL
Dortmund
90' +5
A horror tackle
Owusu flies in late and high on Couto in what is almost the last action of the game and picks up a yellow card. Couto is then stretchered off the pitch.
90' +5
vs
Kelsey Owusu
90' +4
vs
Salih Özcan
Marcel Sabitzer
90' +2
Essen want a penalty
Hofmann whips in a delightful cross to the back post, where Mané challenges Martinovic, perhaps making contact with the striker's head in the process. The referee waves play on, and Moustier tries one from distance, but Kobel again saves.
90'
Four minutes added on
Can Essen find a way back?
89'
A host of changes and not long left
The hosts have now made all of their changes, but they have yet to make an impact. There is just one minute of normal time remaining for an equaliser.
87'
vs
Kelsey Owusu
Klaus Gjasula
78'
Another comfortable save
Obuz, fresh on the pitch, tries an effort from the edge of the box, but it is easy for Kobel to deal with.
83'
vs
Torben Müsel
José-Enrique Rios Alonso
83'
vs
Dominik Martinovic
Ramien Safi
75'
vs
Franci Bouebari
Lucas Brumme
81'
Mizuta tries one
Mizuta tries to test Kobel once more, but yet again the shot is simple for the Swiss international.
75'
vs
Marvin Obuz
Ahmet Arslan
76'
vs
Daniel Svensson
71'
Brandt hits the side-netting
Bellingham rolls his man and wins a free-kick right on the edge of the box. Brandt takes the resulting set-piece, hitting his effort with power, but only finding the side-netting.
69'
Still a bit slow from Dortmund
Still no breakthrough in this one, the visitors need to move the ball quicker to create chances. Sabitzer just put in a lovely cross, though, that was well dealt with by Golz.
64'
vs
Julian Brandt
Maximilian Beier
64'
vs
Jobe Bellingham
Pascal Groß
60'
Close
Essen battle to win yet another loose ball, with Brumme being sent through down the left, but he can't beat Couto with his cross. Should he have managed, he had two teammates waiting in the middle.
54'
Final pass lacking
Dortmund are once again controlling the ball, but that final pass is missing at the moment. The visitors have had plenty of crossing opportunities, but very few have found a player in the middle.
47'
Almost a chance
Guirassy, Groß and Nmecha combine well to try and create an opportunity, but Nmecha's shot is well blocked from inside the area.
46'
Back underway
Will either side make the breakthrough in the next 45 minutes?
0 - 0
Kick-off!
0 - 0
Half-time
45'
One minute of added time
Still time for a goal?
41'
A huge opportunity!
That should be the opener for Essen. Safi is sent through one-on-one with Kobel, but can only fire the ball at the oncoming goalkeeper.
36'
Dortmund fire back
Groß attempts to slide through Beier, but Golz gets there first. The keeper is then there again seconds late as Guirassy latches onto a loose ball to fire in a shot.
32'
Good effort
Essen are looking the better side in the last few minutes, and now Mizuta becomes the latest Rot-Weiss player to test Kobel. After a long throw, the ball falls to him on the edge of the box, and he hits it well, but Kobel can parry. The rebound is then headed narrowly wide by Rios Alonso, but he was offside anyway.
25'
More shots from the hosts
Essen are growing in confidence, firing two further shots on goal from range, but once more, the shots are unable to test the goalkeeper.
23'
Wonderful counter
Essen almost break through on the counter. Safi spins his man beautifully on halfway before trying to feed a teammate, but Anton stretches out an important leg to clear the ball for a corner.
19'
Better from Essen
The hosts are starting to grow in confidence and have now had their first shot on goal and are playing with a bit more controlled possession. Safi picks up the ball in the opposition half, charges forward and hits one, but it is simple for Kobel.
14'
Guirassy almost gets in behind
Dortmund win the ball high up the pitch, with Groß trying to slip in Guirassy, but a covering Rios Alonso gets back at the last second to put the ball out for a corner.
9'
Dortmund controlling the play
Dortmund have struggled to create an opening since those early shots. The Essen players are working hard to deny the favourites any space, but Dortmund are dominating the ball.
3'
Dortmund hunting an early opener
The visitors are proving a real handful for third-tier Essen so far, as Nmecha strikes one from the edge of the box that Golz has to palm away.
1'
First shot already
Dortmund look to press high from the first kick, and that leads to a half-chance for Sabitzer, who volleys a bouncing ball goalwards from the edge of the box. The shot is comfortable for the goalkeeper.
0 - 0
Kick-off!
Players on the pitch
Kick-off is now just moments away, but first, there is a moment of silence for Frank Mill, who sadly passed away earlier this month. Mill represented both sides during his career and won the FIFA World Cup with West Germany in 1990.
Essen starting XI
Golz - Rios Alonso, Schultz (c), Kraulich - Hofmann, Arslan, Gjasula, Brumme - Moustier - Safi, Mizuta
Essen subs
Wienand, Bouebari, Kaiser, Swajkowski, Bazzoli, Müsel, Owusu, Martinovic, Obuz
Dortmund subs
Meyer, Özcan, Bellingham, Brandt, Reyna, Adeyemi, Campbell, Kabar, Lührs
Dortmund starting XI
Kobel (c) - Mané, Anton, Bensebaini - Couto, Groß, Nmecha, Sabitzer, Svensson - Guirassy, Beier.
Dortmund have a strong record against amateur sides
Dortmund have only lost twice to sides outside the top two divisions since 2001, and those defeats came in back-to-back seasons. The first defeat came in the 2009/10 season when BVB came unstuck against third-tier VfL Osnabrück in the round of 16, losing 3-2. The following season, Dortmund again lost to amateur opposition; on that occasion, it was a 4-2 loss on penalties against third-tier Offenbacher Kickers after the game had finished 0-0.
Essen on the up?
Despite starting the current third division campaign with two draws, Essen have been in fine form over the last half a year. After a dreadful first half of last season, where Essen were sat in 19th after 20 matchdays, new coach Uwe Koschinat turned that form around to finish eighth. Only champions Arminia Bielefeld collected more points in the second half of the campaign, as Rot-Weiss picked up 39 points from a possible 54.
Essen's most recent cup runs
The hosts have only made it past the first round once since 2012. That was during the 2020/21 season when Essen made it all the way to the quarter-final. That was also the season Dortmund most recently won the competition. That 20/21 run from Essen was the furthest the club had made it in the competition since reaching the final during the 1993/94 season, where they lost 3-1 to Werder Bremen.
Dortmund unbeaten against Essen since 1972
The weight of history is very much against the third-division side, as they last beat Dortmund in 1972. Since then, the two sides have only met 10 times, and Dortmund have won seven of those games.
Dortmund strong in cup openers
BVB have not lost in the opening round of the DFB Cup since 2005, when Dortmund lost 2-1 to Eintracht Braunschweig.