Borussia Dortmund 3-2 LOSC Lille: Blistering first-half guides BVB to second friendly triumph | OneFootball

In the occasional lashings of summer rain in North Rhine-Westphalia, Borussia Dortmund took on LOSC Lille in just their second friendly fixture of their pre-season campaign. Once again starting with a strong lineup, Niko Kovač's side built a first-half lead to guide themselves to a 3-2 victory.

Dortmund instantly took the game to their Ligue 1 opponents as Serhou Guirassy tested Lucas Chevalier inside 90 seconds with a dipping strike. They continued to boss possession and created several chances until a 13th-minute breakthrough eventually arrived.

Julian Ryerson's corner was initially met by Rami Bensebaini whose header was parried by Chevalier from close range. However, a poor clearance from the defender on the goal line allowed Pascal Groß to sweep home from the rebound in a crowded six-yard box.

BVB continued to pile on the pressure as Lille's shot-stopper pulled off another wonderful save to deny Marcel Sabitzer in the 19th-minute. The Austrian's luck was evidently out again 6 minutes later as his long-range strike ferociously rattled the crossbar.

After a brief injury stoppage, Dortmund were awarded a penalty shortly before the break as Benjamin André made contact with Daniel Svensson's head in the box. It seemed a bit harsh but that didn't prevent Guirassy sending Chevalier the wrong way for a 2-0 interval lead.

Niko Kovač called five substitutes upon the resumption of the second-half as Elias Benkara, Yan Couto, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi replaced Mane, Ryerson, Jobe, Guirassy and Beier. By this stage, Lille were enjoying a healthier share of the ball.

Dortmund still looked the likelier to score as Adeyemi's cross looped over the head of the unmarked Groß. A further four alterations came on the hour as Alexander Meyer, Yannik Lührs, Almugera Kabar, and Joseph Boyamba took over from Kobel, Anton, Bensebaini, and Svensson.

Instantly, BVB's youthfulness could be spotted as Meyer came under fire in a flash. The French club pulled a goal back on the break as Haraldsson finished in style. However, Dortmund restored their two goal cushion two minutes later as Boyamba fed Adeyemi who chipped over Bodart on 68 minutes.

Die Schwarzgelben's replacement shot-stopper reacted brilliantly to deny André Gomes from a well worked freekick, but the deficit was slashed to 3-2 with a little over 8 minutes remaining. Ex-BVB man Thomas Meunier bravely beat Meyer to the through ball to leave room for an exciting finish.

In the end, the side from northern France couldn't grab a leveller as Kovač's men hung on for the victory. Dortmund will play their final pre-season game against Italian giants Juventus on August 10 before taking on Rot Weiss Essen just over a week later on August 18 in the DfB-Pokal.

Borussia Dortmund (3-4-2-1):

Kobel (c) - Mane, Anton, Bensebaini - Ryerson, Groß, Sabitzer, Ryerson - Jobe, Beier - Guirassy

Substitutions: Benkara ('46), Couto ('46), Nmecha ('46), Brandt ('46), Adeyemi ('46), Meyer ('61), Kabar ('61), Lührs ('61), Azhil ('61), Boyamba ('61)