Borussia Dortmund absolutely blew it Wednesday night, falling 1-0 to FK Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League Matchday 2, a result that feels way worse considering how late they started playing with any real urgency. Head Coach Kovac openly admitted he rotated the squad, making five changes from their game against Bremen because they have three matches this week, plus the travel strain. That strategy? It blew up in their face in Norway.
Coach’s Choices and a Slow Start Almost Cost Them Earlier
Kovac’s lineup saw Ramy Bensebaini, Joey Veerman, Konstantinos Karetsas, Samuele Inacio, and Fabio Silva all starting, replacing Nico Schlotterbeck, Felix Nmecha, Ethan Nwaneri, Marcel Sabitzer, and Serhou Guirassy. Out on the artificial turf of Aspmyra Stadion, in some chilly, windy conditions, the Norwegian side looked way more comfortable early on. Bodø/Glimt created three shots in the first fifteen minutes, and honestly, they should have been ahead. Sondre Brunstad Fet fired from roughly 14 yards out in the 19th minute and missed the target by mere centimeters. Then, just before the half-hour mark, Ole Blomberg’s counterattack delivery almost found Jens Petter Hauge with an empty net begging. For the first 35 minutes, it was all Bodø/Glimt, leading 5-1 in shots, owning 65% possession, and winning 66% of the duels. It wasn’t until the final ten minutes of the first half that Dortmund finally started holding the ball for extended periods and looking like they belonged.
A Goal Conceded and a Frantic, Fruitless Push
Whatever brief dominance they found didn’t carry over into the second half. Just 24 seconds after the break, Gregor Kobel had to make a big save against Andreas Helmersen to keep the score level. Most of the action after that still swirled around Kobel’s goal. After Blomberg’s deflected shot zipped narrowly wide in the 49th minute, Borussia’s luck finally ran out. It was a strong attacking sequence from Bodø/Glimt, initiated by right back Fredrik Sjøvold. A pair of clever passes saw Sondre Auklend fly down the right, send a pinpoint centering ball into the box, and Sjøvold was right there to clinically finish it off for the 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute. Kovac immediately responded with a quadruple substitution, bringing on Guirassy, Nmecha, Nwaneri, and Julian Ryerson for Silva, Inacio, Veerman, and Karetsas. Germany midfielder Nmecha tried to make an immediate impact, forcing goalkeeper Nikita Haikin to stretch fully and scrape a long-range shot out of the top right corner in the 62nd minute. The momentum definitely swung then, with Bodø/Glimt sitting back and Borussia playing with some real purpose. A last-ditch deflection off a defender’s leg kept Guirassy from tying the score in the 69th minute. Nwaneri had a free header that lacked placement in the 74th, and Sjøvold made a huge intervention to stop Daniel Svensson from getting a shot off in the 83rd. From the ensuing corner, Haikin denied Nwaneri, and he made another strong save against Nmecha in stoppage time. Three BVB corner kicks came in quick succession at the very end, but when Julian Ryerson headed the third and final delivery wide of the goal, that was it. Game over.
Man, this 1-0 loss on Matchday 2 stings. It’s a stark reminder that in the Champions League, you can’t afford to ease into a game, especially not after rotating key players. Borussia Dortmund has gotta figure out how to bring that late-game urgency from the first whistle next time out, because waiting until the last minute clearly isn’t cutting it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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