Fortuna Düsseldorf came from behind to earn a 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly at the MERKUR SPIEL-ARENA on Saturday.
Mathis Albert gave a heavily rotated Dortmund side the lead in the 20th minute, controlling a long clearance pass from goalkeeper Alexander Meyer before beating Lasse Rieß to finish.
Niko Kovac’s side suffered a setback just before the break when Enzo Duarte was forced off with knee pain to be replaced by Jobe Bellingham, while Jan-Luca Riedl was booked for the hosts.
Fortuna responded five minutes after the restart as Dominique Heintz flicked on a free-kick, allowing Fabian Schleusener to tap in the equalizer from close range.
Dortmund were dealt another injury blow late in the second half when Elias Benkara limped off to be replaced by Arne Wessels.
Just a minute later, the hosts completed the turnaround when Lukas Eixler delivered a cross down the right flank for Anas Slimani to volley home.
Kovac fielded six players under 20 in his starting lineup, including summer arrivals Takato Yamamoto and Joane Gadou, with key figures Maxi Beier, Waldemar Anton, Felix Nmecha, and Daniel Svensson absent following performance tests.
The defeat served as Dortmund’s second pre-season fixture before departing for their tour in Japan, following an earlier 3-1 win against Oberhausen.
“You could already see today that we really stepped it up a notch in our second week of training, ” Kovac said after the match. “Our legs were heavy, but everyone gave it their all.”
Commenting on Albert’s opening goal, Kovac added: “You can see what skills he has. He scored the goal in his own style, with plenty of technique and speed.”
The comeback victory provides a boost for Fortuna Düsseldorf ahead of their 3. Liga season opener on August 7 following their relegation from the 2. Bundesliga.
