BVB women lose test match to Osaka 1-3 | OneFootball

Both teams had a fast-paced start to the game. Annika Enderle launched the first attack in the seventh minute. Shortly after, a free kick and a corner created some danger in the opponents’ box. Cerezo Osaka responded with a counter-attack and missed a chance to go into the lead in the 14th minute, when the ball hit the crossbar following a corner. In the minutes that followed, BVB consistently defended against several corners.

After this, the game became increasingly balanced again. Following a free kick and two further attacks, Osaka created more good chances towards the end of the first half, but Dortmund’s goalkeeper Laura van der Laan made several strong parries. A free kick shortly before half time created danger in the Dortmund box once again, but the scoreline was still 0-0 at the end of the first half.

After half time, Osaka had the better start. In the 54th minute, the visiting team went a goal up following a corner. BVB responded immediately, nearly completing a rapid counter-attack, but were unable to score from it. In the 63rd minute, Osaka extended their lead to 2-0. This time, van der Laan had no chance against a well-placed shot to the left corner.

After this, coach Markus Högner made some changes: Emilia Pauls replaced Frederike Kempe (68), Mia Böger came on for Annika Enderle in the 76th minute, and Caroline Blum replaced van der Laan. A few minutes later, Osaka took advantage of another attack, scoring in the 82nd minute to make it 3-0.

But the BVB women did not give up. Two minutes later, after some strong work by Lucy Wisniewski, Nora Willeke put the ball in the net, making the final score 1-3 (84). The Dortmund women gave a committed performance throughout the game, gaining valuable experience against high level opponents.

Preparation for the new season will continue in the coming days. On Friday, the team will be heading to a pre-season tournament in Liechtenstein, before continuing from there to their training camp in Austria. The team will be returning to Dortmund in time for their opening game of the season against Juventus Turin on 10 August.