Felix Nmecha's long shots stand in for Dortmund's missing striker
Felix Nmecha scored twice from outside the area while Dortmund played without Serhou Guirassy. The win keeps them unbeaten and level on points with Bayern going into the international break.
Felix Nmecha struck twice from outside the area, and Borussia Dortmund beat Elversberg 2-1 without the striker they missed all afternoon. For 55 minutes, with Serhou Guirassy out after straining a thigh, Dortmund had no way through. Then the Elversberg defence left Nmecha room on the half-left, about 20 metres out, and he drove Fábio Silva's pass low inside the post.
Borussia Dortmund
- 1Julian Ryerson
- 2Alexander Meyer
- 3Marcel Sabitzer
- 4Mathis Albert
- 5Ethan Nwaneri
- 6Maximilian Beier
- 7Ramy Bensebaini
- 8Luca Reggiani
- 9Samuele Inácio
Elversberg
- 1Frederik Schmahl
- 2Raif Adam
- 3Noel Futkeu
- 4Amara Conde
- 5Nicholas Mickelson
- 6Luca Schnellbacher
- 7Cole Campbell
- 8Tim Boss
- 9Florian Le Joncour
The first half had been Silva's without a goal in it. He tried to catch Nicolas Kristof from near halfway and found the side-netting, and when Kristof parried Nmecha's shot on 29 minutes, Silva put the rebound wide from close range. Carney Chukwuemeka went off injured before the break, and Maximilian Beier, the other forward Niko Kovač had named to fill Guirassy's space, came on in the 34th minute.
The second goal came from further out. A loose ball fell to Nmecha about 22 metres from goal in the 71st minute, and he curled it into the right corner.
Elversberg had not scored away since winning 4-3 at Mönchengladbach on the second matchday, three trips without a goal. Noel Futkeu ended that in the 81st minute, three minutes after coming on, with an acrobatic finish from a corner Florian Le Joncour had redirected to him. Gregor Kobel had already saved Lukas Petkov's free kick, and Felix Keidel's set pieces in stoppage time came close without bringing another.
Dortmund go into the international break unbeaten after nine league games, level on points with Bayern and 11 goals behind them on goal difference. Until Guirassy is fit, their goals will have to come from where Nmecha found them.
