FC St. Pauli

Head coach Alexander Blessin was without Elias Saad and Connor Metcalfe, among others, for the trip to Dortmund, though fit-again Eric Smith and Philipp Treu did make the starting lineup and Carlo Boukhalfa began on the bench. Captain Jackson Irvine led the team out after more than 30,000 kilometres on a plane, two internationals for Australia and just one training session in Hamburg. Blessin made one change to the side that lost 3-0 to Mainz last time out, Morgan Guilavogui coming in for Saad, while Ronny Seibt and Marwin Schmitz featured in the senior squad for the first time. BVB coach Nuri Sahin made three adjustments after the 2-1 reverse at Union Berlin, Ramy Bensebaini, Marcel Sabitzer and Donyell Malen replacing Yan Couto, Jamie Gittens and Maximilian Beier.

Dortmund have an impressive home record and they dictated the proceedings from the off, though the Boys in Brown defended with passion and held their own during the opening exchanges. Nevertheless, Serhou Guirassy popped up unmarked in front of Nikola Vasilj following a Julian Brandt pass and it took a fine save from the keeper to keep it at 0-0. The home side remained the busier side, hogging 75% of the possession early on without creating any chances of note, however. And when the ball did find its way through the penalty area to Malen on the quarter-hour, Hauke Wahl made a decisive clearance. Almost immediately, the Boys in Brown came close to taking the lead when Guilavogui won the ball off Emre Can in midfield and Irvine sent Oladapo Afolayan on his way. His shot from just inside the box was blocked by a last-ditch sliding tackle from Bensebaini to the exasperation of the 8,000 away fans.

In the 22^nd minute Vasilj made a comfortable save from a Julian Ryerson effort before a deflected strike from Pascal Gross flew wide of the right-hand post, Waldemar Anton heading the resulting corner over. The Boys in Brown grew in confidence and Eric Smith advanced upfield to pull the trigger from some 25 metres, but it was too centrally placed and no problem for Gregor Kobel in the Dortmund goal. The Swedish midfielder had more joy moments later with a free-kick into the box from the left, Guilavogui sliding in to prod the ball over the line. It went to VAR, however, and the goal was ruled out for the narrowest of offsides.

The home side stepped up the pressure after that scare and took the lead just before the interval, Bensebaini meeting a ball in from Gross to head beyond Vasilj into the far corner. In time added on it could have been two when Brandt was left completely unmarked in the box. Fortunately, his close-range header flew over the crossbar.

Ramy Bensebaini blocks an Oladapo Afolayan shot at the last moment in the 16th minute.

The Boys in Brown emerged unchanged for the second half, with Jamie Gittens replacing Pascal Gross for the home side. Dortmund continued to move the ball around nicely, leaving the Blessin XI to sit back and wait for a rare opportunity to push forward, as when Robert Wagner saw a shot blocked in the 47^th minute. The home side looked the more dangerous side and Vasilj had to dive low to his left to keep out a long-range effort from Brandt. Soon after that Guilavogui motored past several defenders, only to be stopped by Can in the box.

Back at the other end, Brandt knocked a through ball for Guirassy to run on to, but he was denied by an alert Vasilj. Moments later Guirassy and Malen came within a whisker of connecting with a low ball in from Gittens. That could have been two. Blessin responded by making his first change, introducing Scott Banks for Guilavogui. His charges continued to struggle against the home side's dominant possession football and only rarely posed a threat up front, but with the score remaining at just 1-0 they were still very much in the game. Afolayan managed an attempt on target from distance on 76, but Kobel saved with aplomb.

There was nothing the Dortmund custodian could do a couple of minutes later, however, when Smith met a clearance first time and blasted the ball into the top left corner from all of 25 metres. With Afolayan in an offside position close to Kobel's line of sight, it went to VAR, but this time the goal stood, and the Boys in Brown were level with 12 minutes to go. Blessin threw on Adam Dźwigała for Manolis Saliakas in a bid to secure a point, but the home side stepped up another gear and restored their advantage soon after through Guirassy, who converted from a Gittens cross. Andreas Albers and Danel Sinani entered the fray, but it was fellow sub Dźwigała who almost grabbed a second equaliser in time added on. His drop kick from seven metres flew over, however. Sinani tried his luck with a horizontal bicycle kick, but the shot was blocked and it ended 2-1.

Borussia Dortmund

Kobel - Ryerson, Anton, Schlotterbeck, Bensebaini - Can (Nmecha 69'), Gross (Gittens 46') - Sabitzer, Brandt, Malen (Beier 76') - Guirassy

Head coach: Nuri Şahin

FC St. Pauli

Vasilj - Wahl, Smith, Mets - Saliakas (Dźwigała 82'), Irvine, Wagner, Treu - Guilavogui (Banks 69'), Eggestein (Albers 88'), Afolayan (Sinani 88')

Head coach: Alexander blessin

Goals: 1-0 Bensebaini (43'), 1-1 Smith (78'), 2-1 Guirassy (83')

Yellow cards: Gittens, Brandt –  Smith

Referee: Matthias Jöllenbeck (Freiburg)

Attendance: 81,365 (sold out)

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters