Borussia Dortmund maintained their strong start to the year with a 3-0 Champions League home victory over FC Copenhagen on Tuesday thanks to a goal from Jude Bellingham.
Dortmund were cool and in control all game long despite starting four Champions League debutants,
with striker Sebastien Haller,
who is having treatment for testicular cancer, watching on from the stands.
Marco Reus dribbled past two Copenhagen
defenders before slamming the ball past Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan
and into the back of the net after 35 minutes of a ferocious opening period won by the home team.
The American forward Giovanni Reyna,
who had replaced the injured Thorgan Hazard in the 23rd minute,
set up Raphael Guerreiro for an easy tap-in to extend his team’s lead just seven minutes later.
Dortmund’s renowned yellow wall, which was permitted to have standing fans for the first time since 1998 due to new UEFA regulations,
screamed on the team as they won four of their five Bundesliga games this season.
Dortmund maintained their lead throughout the second half
and had multiple opportunities to score thanks to the skillful Julian Brandt,
but Bellingham scored in the 83rd minute off of another Reyna assist.
Rasmus Falk appeared to have given Copenhagen a late consolation goal,
but it was disallowed for offside.
Dortmund maintained a clean sheet for the fourth time in seven competitive games this season.
Despite the victory,
Dortmund already has nine first-team players out injured after losing Hazard early in the season.
Dortmund’s renowned yellow wall,
which was permitted to have standing fans for the first time since 1998
due to new UEFA regulations, screamed on the team as they won four of their five Bundesliga games this season.
Meyer’s first game at Dortmund
Lukas Lerager of Copenhagen had an opportunity to give his team a comeback one minute into the second half, but Alex Meyer,
the goalkeeper making his Dortmund and Champions League debut,
stopped him with an incredible reflex save.
Meyer, who played last season in the German second division,
told the German media following the game, “This was a day I will never forget.”
As the game proceeded on,
Dortmund maintained their lead and had multiple opportunities to score because to the inventive Julian Brandt. In the 83rd minute,
Bellingham scored again with to a help from Reyna.
Rasmus Falk appeared to have given Copenhagen a late consolation goal,
but it was disallowed for offside.
Edin Terzic,
the coach of Dortmund,
hailed his team’s poise and superiority.
Terzic stated, “I think we did a great job. “Our Champions League campaign is off to a wonderful start,”
Dortmund maintained a clean sheet for the fourth time in seven games this season.
Despite the victory,
Dortmund already has nine first-team players out injured after losing Hazard early in the season.
After the game,
Terzic complained to the media about his team’s unfortunate injury luck, calling it “brutally upsetting.”
It’s not as if we aren’t making every effort to rectify the situation; yet,
we’ll stay at it.
Next week, Copenhagen will host Sevilla to continue their Champions League campaign, while Dortmund will travel to face Man City,
the old team of Erling Haaland.
Tuesday’s Champions League Group G opener
saw Borussia Dortmund easily defeat FC Copenhagen 3-0 in front of an unusually large 81,000 spectators for a European game.
Raphael Guerreiro added a second goal shortly before halftime,
and Jude Bellingham made it 3-0 in the 83rd,
as the home team was fueled by the fabled “Yellow Wall” of 25,000 standing supporters. The goal was scored by captain Marco Reus in the 35th minute.
This season,
governing authority UEFA allowed standings supporters at some European matches, increasing capacity for several teams.
orussia Dortmund easily defeated FC Copenhagen 3-0 in its Champions League Group G opener on Tuesday, playing in front of an unusually large 81,000 spectators for a European encounter.
Captain Marco Reus scored in the 35th minute,
Raphael Guerreiro added a second goal just before halftime, and Jude Bellingham made it 3-0 with 83 minutes remaining as the home team was fueled by the renowned “Yellow Wall” of 25,000 standing supporters.
The governing body UEFA has increased capacity for some teams by allowing standings supporters at select European matches this season.
At the start of the second half, Lukas Lerager made a decent effort,
but Dortmund goalkeeper Alexander Meyer, filling in for Kobel and making his club debut, stopped him to preserve their two-goal advantage.
The Danes subsequently fell down once more,
and Dortmund ought to have added another goal when Bellingham swiftly finished the transition in the 83rd.
Manchester City, who will play Sevilla in the other group game later on Tuesday, will play Dortmund the following week.
Germany’s DORTMUND (AP) — American international Gio Reyna assisted on two goals as Borussia Dortmund defeated Copenhagen 3-0 in their Champions League opener on Tuesday.
With Manchester City playing at Sevilla later in the group,
Dortmund, the 1997 champion that fell short of moving past the group stage last season, took early control of the group.
At the conclusion of the first half,
Dortmund captain Marco Reus and Raphael Guerreiro scored in rapid succession after Carlos Zeca of Copenhagen had struck the goal post in the opening minute. Jude Bellingham, a youngster from England,
added one more late in the second half.
My team and I feel like we have something to prove in this battle, Bellingham remarked. This is a fantastic place to start. We were, in my opinion, fairly effective and dominant.
Reus scored off a counterattack for his 22nd goal in 57 Champions League games, and seven minutes later Guerreiro and Reyna combined on a pass and a finish.
After a sequence of quick passes, the 19-year-old Bellingham found the goal, with Reyna providing the final cross.
Midway through the first half, Reyna, who is also 19, entered as a substitute and immediately added energy.
In his first game for the team, Dortmund’s backup goalkeeper Alexander Meyer made a challenging stop just after the break.
Bellingham stated, “Myself and the squad feel like we’ve got a little bit of a point to show in this competition. “This is a great way to get started. I believe we were fairly effective and dominant.
Seven minutes later, Guerreiro and Reyna finished off a give-and-take after Reus scored his 22nd goal in 57 Champions League games following a counterattack.
After a sequence of quick passes, including the last cross from Reyna, the 19-year-old Bellingham succeeded in scoring.
Midway through the first half, Reyna, a substitute who is also 19 years old, entered and immediately added energy.
Alexander Meyer, a reserve goalkeeper for Dortmund, made a challenging save shortly after the break in his first game.
