Borussia Dortmund’s Youngsters Shine in London with Four-Goal Triumph over Fulham
Coach Daniel Rios took a bold squad to London. No big stars, no safety net. This was a trip for the next wave. His Borussia Dortmund side was built almost entirely from U23 players, with U19 duo Luke Fahrenhorst and Jan-Luca Riedl stepping up a level. Around them, Mathis Albert, Kaua Prates, Luca Reggiani and Justin Lerma added the kind of professional experience that can steady a young dressing room.
It did not look steady after five minutes.
Early punch, sharp response
Borussia had already carved out their first half-chance when Fulham struck. A corner, whipped to the near post, met the head of striker Jose Sani. Silas Ostrzinski had no chance. 1-0 to the hosts, and Dortmund were suddenly chasing.
The goal jolted Rios’s team awake. They started to squeeze higher, keep the ball, and pin Fulham back. The problem lay in the final third. Fulham sat deep, closed the spaces, and for a while Dortmund’s build-up lacked the precision to break the block.
Then the game flipped.
Fulham stopped finding routes into dangerous areas. Dortmund began to. The visitors moved the ball quicker, stretched the pitch, and the pressure finally told on 25 minutes. Albert, seeing the space, dropped a superb long pass in behind. Fadi Zarqelain timed his run, took it, and finished for a fully deserved equaliser.
Three minutes later, the turnaround was complete.
Albert, already dictating the tempo, pounced on a misplaced Fulham pass about 17 metres from goal. One touch to set himself, one to slide the ball home. Dortmund, behind after five minutes, now led after 28. They went into the break 2-1 up and in full control.
Second-half dominance
The interval did nothing to cool them. Rios’s side came back out with intent and went hunting for a third. They got it quickly.
On 52 minutes, Takato Yamamoto swung in a corner and Jesper Verlaat attacked it. A firm header, over the line, 3-1. Simple, ruthless, and it killed any sense that Fulham might claw their way back.
The fourth was the pick of the bunch. Five minutes later, Justin Lerma took matters into his own hands. A brilliant solo run, a composed finish, and the Black & Yellows were 4-1 up. It was the kind of goal that underlines why he is already trusted at professional level. His afternoon ended on a sour note as he had to leave the pitch injured, but the damage to Fulham was done.
Fulham managed one late chance, dealt with calmly by Ostrzinski. At the other end, Dortmund kept creating. Captain Azhil went close on 82 minutes, Degener threatened in stoppage time, and Ngambia almost added a fifth in the 95th minute. The holders played out the final stages like a side that knew exactly what it was doing.
Rios summed it up afterwards: his team had gone behind early, reacted properly, turned the game around and then controlled it for the full 90 minutes. Lots of chances, a strong performance, and in this experimental line-up, a statement away to Fulham.
What comes next
The reward is clear: the first three points of their Premier League International Cup defence are on the board, earned the hard way after an early setback and sealed with authority.
Now the schedule splits. Borussia Dortmund’s U19s face Rot-Weiss Essen on 5 September in the DFB youth round at Brackel. The U23s travel to VfB Hilden in the Regionalliga West on 29 August.
As for the next European test, that will have to wait. The youngsters will not return to Premier League International Cup duty until 15 December, when Aston Villa arrive as the second group-stage opponents. If Dortmund bring the same maturity and edge they showed in London, how far can this group go?
