Defeat at Tullberg’s farewell: BVB U23 lose to Gladbach | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund II is still struggling to find its footing even after being relegated from the 3rd division. On Saturday afternoon, BVB's U23 team lost 1-2 to Borussia Mönchengladbach's reserve team and remains in the middle of the table with eight points after six matchdays. The hoped-for success eluded outgoing coach Mike Tullberg in his final game, as he will be taking over FC Midtjylland in his native Denmark.

Before kickoff, Tullberg was in the spotlight during his official farewell and then witnessed an eventful start with three yellow cards in the first five minutes and an early deficit for his team. Just eight minutes in, Jan Urbich put the visitors from Mönchengladbach ahead following a turnover by Ben Hüning, disrupting Dortmund's game plan.

Babis Drakas' Goal Not Enough

After half an hour, it was Urbich again, who now has nine goals after six matchdays, capitalizing on a misplaced pass from BVB captain Tony Reitz to make it 0-2. Tullberg responded shortly after with a double substitution—Bennedikt Wüstenhagen and Joseph Boyamba came on for Ayman Azhil and Ousmane Diallo—and saw his team improve as a result. With a shot off the crossbar by Boyamba, BVB recorded their best chance so far just before the break and remained on the offensive in the second half.

When Babis Drakas managed to reduce the deficit to 1-2 in the 53rd minute after a cross from Boyamba, hopes for at least a partial success were revived. BVB continued to dominate but squandered their chances—the best by goalscorer Drakas—and couldn't capitalize on a numerical advantage after Gladbach's Veit Stange received a second yellow card in the closing stages.

In his final remarks as BVB coach, Tullberg was naturally disappointed but still bid farewell with warm words for his players and staff: "I told the guys that in six or seven months, they will be among the top five or top three teams. Some will develop, especially in terms of football skills. And the team is in the best hands with Daniel Rios and the rest of the coaching staff."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.