Borussia Dortmund kicked off the new Bundesliga season with a 2-0 home victory over Hamburger SV. The match at a packed Westfalenstadion was preceded by an emotional tribute to former captain Wolfgang Paul and the first playing of the anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' this season. The Black and Yellows secured the win thanks to early goals from Serhou Guirassy and Giannis Konstantelias, but had to endure a tense finish after a red card for Samuele Inácio.
Edin Terzić's team started brightly. Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring in the ninth minute. The assist came from Konstantinos Karetsas, who was later voted Man of the Match. Guirassy's goal had just an eight percent probability of scoring. Just before halftime, Giannis Konstantelias, making his full Bundesliga debut, doubled the lead. His shot, set up by Maximilian Beier, took a deflection off Sebastiaan Bornauw and was the Greek's first Bundesliga goal. Dortmund went into the break with a comfortable lead. The current standings show BVB in fifth place with three points after this opening win.
Dortmund made a triple substitution in the 74th minute, one of them bringing on Samuele Inácio. Just three minutes later, the Portuguese defender saw a straight red card for a tough challenge. Dortmund had to play the final thirteen minutes plus added time a man down. Hamburg, who had improved in the second half anyway, pushed hard for a consolation goal. Albert Grønbæk and Albert Sambi Lokonga had chances, Patson Daka hit the outside of the post. Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was forced into another save from Grønbæk but kept a clean sheet. This leaves the season tally at two goals scored and none conceded.
The numbers highlight Dortmund's mixed performance. The expected goals (xGoals) were 1.36 for BVB and 0.71 for Hamburg. Konstantinos Karetsas was the standout player statistically. He registered six shots, more than any other player, and created several chances. In the fan vote, he received 36 percent of the votes for Man of the Match. He also topped the Fantasy Heroes ranking with 274 points, followed by Guirassy (267) and Konstantelias (224). Joey Veerman recorded the highest pass efficiency in the team at +1.12. The fastest individual sprint was by Joane Gadou, reaching a top speed of 34.18 km/h.
The three points from the season opener are an important psychological boost, especially given the squad's injury concerns. Giannis Konstantelias, who celebrated his debut goal, had to be substituted with an apparent knee injury. He now joins Justin Lerma, Nico Schlotterbeck and Ramy Bensebaini on the current injuries list. The win provides momentum for the challenges ahead. The next test comes on September 5th with an away trip to face TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Hoffenheim currently sit twelfth in the table. All upcoming fixtures can be found on our fixtures page. The team must carry the positive energy from this win into the coming weeks to keep collecting points.
