Reckless BVB striker's breakthrough amid Tokyo thunderstorm
FC Tokyo faced a "Wankelmütiger BVB-Stürmer" (reckless BVB striker) who finally broke his drought on Saturday afternoon, delivering the match‑winner in a game that saw a thunderstorm interruption. The German forward’s goal gave Borussia Dortmund a 1‑0 edge in their Japan trip (Japan‑Reise).
After the 0‑1 loss to Cerezo Osaka, the reshuffled Dortmund side struggled to shine against FC Tokyo, with many players deployed in unfamiliar positions (Positionen). The team’s lacklustre display persisted well into the first half on Saturday (Samstagmittag).
The decisive strike came from a player who, according to rumors (Gerüchten), is on the verge of a departure (Absprung). His goal arrived after a long wait, the match being halted by a thunderstorm interruption (Gewitter‑Unterbrechung) before play resumed and a promising goal attempt (Tor‑Abschluss) materialised in the 43rd minute.
Maximilian Beier (Maximilian) missed a close‑range chance from eight meters (Metern), seeing the ball rebound off South Korean goalkeeper Seung‑gyu Kim (Seung‑gyu Kim). The miss underscored Dortmund’s early frustration in the game (Spiel).
Takato Yamamoto entered the fray in the 23rd minute, replacing Austrian World Cup participant Carney Chukwuemeka. Ingo Preuß, sport director of the BVB‑U23, revealed that a scout had spotted Yamamoto at the U19 Nations tournament in Wales last November (November vergangenen Jahres).
Samuele Inacio created the first post‑break chance in the 47th minute, his seven‑meter shot blocked after a pass from Fabio Silva. Silva then delivered the decisive blow, curling a shot from eleven meters into the net from a half‑clear position, securing a 1‑0 lead for Dortmund.
The right‑wing cross that set up the goal came from Daniel Svensson in the 54th minute. Whether this will be Silva’s final goal in a BVB shirt will be decided in the coming weeks.
Luca Reggiani struck the post from seven meters in the 72nd minute and later, after a scramble in his own box, escaped a penalty claim against Tokyo’s outside right‑back Kota Tawaratsumida. The match ended 1‑0 (0‑0 at half‑time) for Dortmund, with Arsenal and AS Roma slated as the next test opponents.