BVB edge Augsburg in a seven-goal blockbuster
Borussia Dortmund returned to Bundesliga action in some style as they ran out 4-3 winners against Augsburg in a thriller at Signal Iduna Park.
Die Schwarzgelben found themselves in the unfamiliar scenario of starting the day outside the Bundesliga’s top-seven, but far from the start of a resurgence, it was the same old story in the opening period as the hosts’ porous defence saw them squander the lead twice before the interval. Things looked promising in attack, with young talents Donyell Malen and Youssoufa Moukoko missing chances before the deadlock was eventually broken by Jude Bellingham. After a stellar FIFA World Cup campaign, the Englishman wasted little time in impressing here as he showed tremendous footwork to get past Arne Engels, before rifling his low effort beyond the goalkeeper.
Not dismayed, Augsburg fired back against the run of play thanks to an error from Nico Schlotterbeck. The German was caught in possession in his own third and was duly punished thanks to a clinical finish from Arne Maier, scoring just his second ever Bundesliga goal. Parity would last less than two minutes, however, as Schlotterbeck immediately atoned for his mistake by nodding home from a set-piece. Mats Hummels missed a similar chance before the break, and that was punished as another equaliser silenced the home crowd. Ermedin Demirović stole a march on the Dortmund backline and dinked over Gregor Kobel, with the ball eventually going in off debutant Julian Ryerson, who failed to divert the ball away from his own goal.
Edin Terzić desperately struggled to find the same attacking fluency after the restart. Looking for solutions, the Dortmund boss introduced Sébastien Haller to make his incredible comeback after being diagnosed with testicular cancer in the summer. It was a different substitute who fired the hosts in front though, as Jamie Bynoe-Gittens returned from injury in style. The 18-year-old cut in from the left before firing into the bottom corner from the edge of the area to relieve anxiety around Signal Iduna Park.
Once more though, Dortmund’s disastrous defending cost them dear as they spurned the lead for the third time. Caught cold from the kick-off, the hosts were cut open as Kelvin Yeboah rifled against post, only for David Čolina to slam home the rebound. This time around though, Augsburg were undone immediately and Dortmund restored the lead. Giovanni Reyna produced a spectacular volley which found the top corner and handed his side a vital three points from a truly breathtaking contest.
