A double blow before the break sees U23s slip to 4-0 defeat against Hannover | OneFootball

The scenario: After losing 2-1 in Aue last weekend, Borussia wanted to get back on track and take a big step toward securing survival in the third tier. They were also looking to extend their unbeaten run at home to three games. Hannover 96's second-string team travelled to Dortmund under immense pressure, as defeat would mean relegation to the Regionalliga.

Personnel matters: U23 coach Jan Zimmermann had to do without Tony Reitz and Jordi Paulinha due to injury. Danylo Krevsun was suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season and was replaced by David Lelle. Antonio Foti and Niklas Jessen also came into the starting line-up in place of Ayman Azhil and Almugera Kabar.

The match: Borussia took control in the opening ten minutes, creating two dangerous chances in quick succession. First, Kjell Wätjen drove forward and delivered a cross into the box, which Paul Besong was unable to get on the end of. Just two minutes later, Wätjen came close with a shot that hit the side netting.

Hannover fought their way back into the game, however, as the visitors fired several dangerous crosses into Marcel Lotka's area, albeit with no one on hand to turn them in. The tackles were flying in as the game became increasingly heated. Dortmund's Niklas Jessen was the worst affected, being hit on the head by a falling opponent and requiring treatment for a bloodied nose. The defender was able to continue, however.

As the game progressed, both teams looked for ways into the opponent's penalty area, but their attempts remained fruitless until the 35th minute, when all of a sudden Borussia found themselves 2-0 down within 120 seconds. First, the referee awarded Hannover a penalty after an attacker was tripped chasing down a through ball played into the box. Eric Uhlmann stepped up to calmly convert the spot-kick down the middle. Immediately after kick-off, Hannover won a battle for the ball. Mustafa Abdullatif, who had won the penalty shortly before, saw his shot blocked by the Black & Yellow defence. However, the rebound fell kindly at the feet of Robin Kalem, who was unmarked on the right side of the box and slotted home to double Hannover's lead.

The second half did not go any better for Borussia: after six minutes, the ball found its way back to Abdullatif, the driving force in Hannover's attack. The Egyptian sent Robin Kalem through on goal, who made it 3-0 with a well-placed effort into the far corner to complete his brace.

Under the watchful eyes of 1,541 spectators at the Rote Erde stadium, BVB coach Jan Zimmermann reacted by bringing on Rodney Elongo-Yombo (66th minute), Babis Drakas and Filippo Mane (77th minute) to freshen up his side, as his team were creating too few chances and posing little threat in attack. Borussia's best opportunity came from a counter-attack 20 minutes before the end, but Julian Hettwer was unable to finish past the excellent Toni Stahl in the Hannover goal.

The visitors made no such mistake as they extended their lead in the 78th minute. Once again they won the ball in midfield and played it forward to Sean Busch, who wrongfooted BVB keeper Marcel Lotka and slipped the ball into the net to bring the score to 4-0.

Jan Zimmermann: “At this stage of the season, it's more than frustrating. The double blow hurt us and the third goal was the final nail in the coffin. We had enough chances to get back into the game. Hannover showed us what intensity looks like and what it demands. We can't be satisfied with anything today. Our situation is now more difficult.”

Michael Eberwein: “We really wanted to win today. But maybe we put too much pressure on ourselves. Until the first goal, it actually felt like things were going pretty well, even though we didn't have any big chances. But the double blow knocked us down and took the wind out of our sails.”

Outlook: Next Saturday (May 3), Borussia Dortmund's U23 team will play their penultimate away game of the season. The Black and Yellows will be the guests at SV Wehen Wiesbaden (14:00 CEST).