Pohlmann & Reyna fire BVB to victory over Rapid Bucharest | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund claimed a deserved 2-1 (1-1) triumph against Rapid Bucharest in their opening game of the "Christmas Cup" in Bucharest. The second match will commence in a few minutes.

Coach Edin Terzic had to do without Marco Reus, the ill duo of Alex Meyer and Niklas Niklas Süle, and Mats Hummels and Felix Passlack (both suffering from muscular problems). World Cup participants Thomas Meunier, Thorgan Hazard, Youssoufa Moukoko and Giovanni Reyna all made the starting XI.

Amid good weather conditions – the temperature was around 10 degrees – the Black & Yellows made a committed start, pressed the opposition and tried to win the ball back high up the pitch. But the third-placed team in the Romanian SuperLiga managed to play themselves out of trouble and did not allow a shot at their goal until the eighth minute, when Pasalic stuck the ball narrowly wide of the mark from a good 25 metres out. Pohlmann fared better four minutes later. Bueno carried the ball forwards and picked out Pohlmann, who cut into the penalty from a centre-left position, meandered past three opponents and unleashed a shot from the corner of the box that snuck into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0. Pasalic then struck the side-netting in the 19th minute.

BVB were very much on the front foot and were only rarely hit on the counter – and when they were, they defended nicely. Up until the 27th minute, that is. At that point, the Black & Yellows allowed the Romanians to cross from the left and when the centre-backs failed to clear the danger, Ionita headed home the bouncing ball from the corner of the six-yard box to level at 1-1. Borussia could have taken the lead again before the interval. Moukoko cut the ball back from a centre-right position in the box towards Meunier, who was denied by the goalkeeper from 12 metres; the rebound fell to Hazard, who was unable to find the back of the net (30).

There were no changes to the Dortmund team ahead of the second period. BVB continued to dominate proceedings but were lacking purpose and creativity. In the end, Reyna was the difference-maker with a moment of individual brilliance, manoeuvring the ball over to his right foot and lashing home from a metre outside the box to make it 2-1 (50). The American had another attempt from distance two minutes later – but hit the side-netting. Pasalic's deflected shot from 16 metres then grazed the goalpost with two minutes of the shortened match to go.

Three teams are taking part in the "Christmas Cup", with each match consisting of two halves of 30 minutes. Borussia Dortmund will then play Fiorentina at 13:30 CET. The game can be watched live on all BVB channels. The game between Rapid and Fiorentina will kick off at 15:00 CET.

Rapid Bucharest 1-2 (1-1) BVB

BVB: Lotka – Meunier, Collins, Coulibaly, Bueno – Can, Pohlmann – Pasalic, Reyna, Hazard – Moukoko Goals: 0-1 Pohlmann (Bueno, 12), 1-1 Ionita (27), 1-2 Reyna (Can, 50)Boris Rupert