Match Report
Three BVB goals in four minutes: Narrow victory to round off the Asia Tour
Rather unusually for a pre-season friendly, coach Nuri Sahin experimented only a little compared to the 4-0 defeat away to Pathum United in Thailand: Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Sebastien Haller in place of Paris Brunner and Youssoufa Moukoko, who had started last time out, in attack were the only changes. The other nine players had been part of the starting line-up for the match in Bangkok three days earlier.
The match at the spacious 2002 World Cup stadium got off to a slow start. A long-range effort from Osaka's Hiroaki Okuno (8) remained the only notable opportunity in the opening stages. The Black & Yellows' legs looked heavy, with Cerezo goalie Kim-Jin Hyeon only needing to intervene to deal with Sebastien Haller's harmless volley (16).
But when BVB finally settled into their stride, the hosts were completely overrun. Karim Adeyemi, who was recently unlucky with his finishing in Thailand, was completely unmarked in front of goal after a headed flick-on by Haller and converted unchallenged to open the scoring (26). Jamie Bynoe-Gittens doubled the lead spectacularly, finishing off an irresistible run down the left wing with a precise shot into the far corner (29). Only 87 seconds later, it was again Adeyemi who made up 15 metres on defender Ryosuke Shindo in a sprint after an Azhil through-ball, leaving the Japanese player trailing in his wake and beating Hyeon in ice-cold fashion to make it 3-0.
Directly after the second half got under way, Adeyemi could have even completed his hat-trick but was twice kept out by substitute Keisuke Shimizu, who had taken over in the Osaka goal. An interruption subsequently proved to be the next highlight of a low-key match: former Borussia player Shinji Kagawa, who rejoined Cerezo Osaka in 2023, entered the pitch to great applause for the final half an hour (62.).
The home team subsequently dominated the game and immediately turned their improved performance into something tangible. Masaya Shibayama pulled a goal back in the 66th minute. Alex Meyer made a save to deny the scorer three minutes later, but the BVB goalkeeper was powerless to keep out Reiya Sakata's shot into the top corner (73). In the period that followed, Sahin's team got the Japanese side's waves of attacks under better control and saw out their lead until the final whistle.
The 3-2 victory in Osaka marks the end of BVB's Asia Tour and they will now make the return journey home. The Black & Yellows will stay there for a few days to have a breather, before heading to their training camp in Bad Ragaz on 1 August with a full squad and all of their EURO participants.
BVB: Meyer – Ryerson (Jessen, 81), Süle (Meiser, 81), Lührs (Benkara, 81), Rothe – Azhil (Kamara, 81), Nmecha (Wätjen, 62), Brandt (Roggow, 81) – Adeyemi (Brunner, 62), Haller (Moukoko, 46), Bynoe-Gittens (Duranville, 62)
Goals: 0-1 Adeyemi (26), 0-2 Bynoe-Gittens (29), 0-3 Adeyemi (30), 1-3 Shibayama (66), 2-3 Sakata (73)