BVB is taken aback by the distance, yet Guirassy arrives late.
Dortmund squeezes past St. Pauli in a tight Bundesliga clash - but the newcomers give them a tough challenge. A potent long-range strike from Eric Smith stirs up trouble for Dortmund, but Serhou Guirassy fires back forcefully.
The sequence continues, the rehearsal concludes well, yet serious faults surface once more: Borussia Dortmund returns to Bundesliga duty following the international break with much turmoil, eventually triumphing 2-1 (1-0) against promoted St. Pauli despite a largely uninspiring and mistake-ridden display. Trainers Nuri Sahin's team registers their fifth competitive win in five home matches this season, but raises some concerns ahead of the Champions League rematch against Real Madrid on Tuesday (21:00 CET/Prime Video).
Ramy Bensebaini (43.) and Guirassy (83.) bagged the goals for Dortmund, who frequently struggled to impress and remained unbeaten in their 39th consecutive Friday night game at Signal Iduna Park, dating back to January 2004. Eric Smith (78.) momentarily leveled the scores for St. Pauli.
Drawn towards Bayern
With 13 points, Dortmund momentarily takes fourth position. The distance to league top spot holders Bayern Munich narrows to just one point prior to their rivals' meetings. Meanwhile, St. Pauli (4 points), teeters on the brink of relegation.
In advance of the game, Dortmund coach Sahin cited personnel issues, some of which were alleviated. Julian Ryerson recovered from illness in time, while Maximilian Beier, returning from the U21 national team, made the bench. Karim Adeyemi (muscle tear) remained sidelined.
Dortmund initially seized control of the game and concentrated on exploiting the wings, setting up Guirassy in attack. The striker, however, failed to beat goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj (6.) in his first action. Conversely, St. Pauli focused on swift counterattacks: after a careless Dortmund blunder, Oladapo Afolayan found himself in front of goal, but Bensebaini managed to fend off the shot (16.).
Discontent among the home fans
Dortmund struggled to find scoring opportunities. Errors mounted, and the home supporters grumbled. Sensing an opportunity, St. Pauli sought to capitalize on the disarray. First, Dortmund shot-stopper Gregor Kobel had to thwart a thunderous shot from Smith (25.). Afterward, however, St. Pauli made it close: following a free kick, Morgan Guilavogui directed the ball into the net, only for the goal to be disallowed following a 1.5-minute VAR review due to minimal offside (30.).
Against St. Pauli's tight defense, Dortmund resorted to crosses from the flanks. While Guirassy often found himself marked, others were left unguarded. Bensebaini took advantage of this, heading the ball into the far corner, and Julian Brandt (45.+1) and Donyell Malen (45.+2) nearly sealed the deal before the break.
Second-half action resumed after communication issues plagued referee Matthias Jöllenbeck, causing a several-minute delay. Dortmund then allowed St. Pauli and the ball to pass, with Malen narrowly missing from a cross at the second post (64.). Following that, St. Pauli increased the risk. Smith effortlessly fired from just outside the box - equalizing unexpectedly. Dortmund reacted angrily, Guirassy restoring their lead jubilantly. In injury time, St. Pauli's Adam Dzwigala passed on a golden opportunity to restore parity.
Despite the challenging performance, Borussia Dortmund manages to secure a 2-1 victory over FC St. Pauli in their Bundesliga clash, with goals from Ramy Bensebaini and Serhou Guirassy. St. Pauli's Eric Smith manages to level the scores momentarily in the second half, but Guirassy responds with a forceful strike to restore Dortmund's lead.
