Sabah 1-2 Borussia Dortmund: result and report

Report

Borussia Dortmund got the away win most expected of them, though the one-goal margin makes the game look closer than it was. Sabah were level at half-time, yet Dortmund created far more and should have settled the match well before the end.

How the goals came

Serhou Guirassy put Borussia Dortmund ahead on 10 minutes, with Felix Nmecha providing the assist. That lead still looked fragile, because Sabah answered on 39 minutes when Aden McCarthy scored from Tymoteusz Puchacz's assist.

The equaliser did not last long into the second half. Guirassy struck again on 53 minutes, this time set up by Joey Veerman, and that proved to be the winner. His two goals made him the player of the match, while nobody else on either side found the net.

Borussia Dortmund: chances made, chances missed

The underlying numbers show a far more one-sided game than the score. Borussia Dortmund finished with 3.45 xG to Sabah's 1.15, took 17 shots to seven and had nine on target to four.

They also created seven big chances to Sabah's three, but missed five of them. Sabah made six saves to Dortmund's three, so the home side had to keep working just to stay within a goal.

This was not a narrow contest decided by a single moment. Dortmund repeatedly made openings, and the scoreline stayed tight because too many of them went begging.

Sabah: a spell of resistance

Sabah still had their moments. Their highest point of attacking pressure was stronger than anything Borussia Dortmund managed, and McCarthy's equaliser showed they could hurt the visitors when they got forward.

Those spells did not last, though. Dortmund's pressure was higher on average across the match, which fits the wider pattern of chances and shots.