Bundesliga
Marcel Sabitzer scored on his competitive debut for Borussia Dortmund as Die Schwarzgelben defeated Schott Mainz 6-1 away from home in the first round of the DFB Cup.
Schott Mainz 1-6 Borussia Dortmund
Goals: 0-1 Haller 22' (assist: Brandt), 0-2 Brandt 24' (assist: Malen), 1-2 Gans (34'), 1-3 Haller (35'), 1-4 Sabitzer (57'), 1-5 Malen 79' (assist: Sabitzer), 1-6 Moukoko 85' (assist: Malen)
More than 10,000 Dortmund supporters made the trip to Mainz, and they were treated to a strong performance from their side as they got the 2023/24 campaign underway. The deadlock was broken midway through the first half by Sebastian Haller's header and, just two minutes later, Julian Brandt, who assisted the opener, turned goalscorer as he tapped home at the far post. While it had been plain sailing up until that point, Edin Terzic's men were then hit with a double blow. First, Niklas Süle was forced off with an injury before Nils Gans buried a low drive to halve the deficit. The two-goal advantage was soon restored, however, when Haller bundled a loose ball into the corner from close range.
After the break, Dortmund added a further three goals to underline their superiority. Sabitzer marked his first appearance for his new employers with a tidy finish from inside the area, before Donyell Malen beat goalkeeper Tim Hansen with a fierce effort from the edge of the box. The scoring was completed by Youssoufa Moukoko, who made no mistake from close range, as Dortmund secured their safe progression to the next round of the competition. Terzic could not have asked for much more from his players, and last year's Bundesliga runners-up will now look ahead to the opening matchday of the league campaign, during which they host Cologne.
Match stats
Watch: Happy 60th birthday, Bundesliga
Teams
Schott: Hansen - Just (Obas 46'), Ahlbach, Gans, Schlosser (Portmann 80') - Müller, Schwarz, Cucchiara (Kern 46'), Embaye (Hermann 71'), Wimmer - Thum (Roden 63')
Unused subs: Schmidt, Schneider, Haas, Rosenbaum
Out: -
Coach: Aydin Ay
Dortmund: Kobel - Ryerson, Süle (Schlotterbeck 29'), Hummels, Bensebaini (Wolf 76') - Sabitzer, Can - Malen, Reus, Brandt - Haller (Moukoko 76')
Unused subs: Meyer, Özcan, Hazard, Pohlmann, Papadopoulos, Bamba
Out: Bynoe-Gittens (shoulder), Duranville (muscle tear), Meunier (hamstring), Morey (musclar), Reyna (leg), Adeyemi (musclar), Nmecha (knock)
Coach: Edin Terzic