Guirassy ensures Pokal progression as Dortmund defeat Rot-Weiss Essen | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund made the short 40-kilometre trip west to face Rot-Weiss Essen this evening. At an atmospheric Stadion an der Hafenstraße, the 3.Liga club frustrated Niko Kovač's side with unmatched desire and determination. However, the Bundesliga giants from Westphalia emerged victorious as Serhou Guirassy struck late to seal a 1-0 win.

The visitors, sporting their new kit for the 2025/26 campaign, made a bright start as Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha forced a pair of fine saves out of Essen's Jakob Golz. At the other end, Gregor Kobel was called into action for the first time on 19 minutes to comfortably deny Ramien Safi.

A corner on 31 minutes enabled Kaito Mizuta to sting the palms of Kobel to give the home support some confidence. Essen weren't without defensive duties of their own as Serhou Guirassy forced Golz into a near-post parry; meanwhile Kobel pulled off a sensational one-on-one save to deny Safi from the best chance of the first-half.

Both coaches opted to keep their powder dry at the break regarding substitutes. Dortmund continued to control swathes of possession despite seldom goal-scoring opportunities. As the clock ticked past the hour, Kovač introduced the cavalry with Jobe Bellingham and Julian Brandt taking over from Groß and Beier.

Fresh legs brought more impetus to BVB's attack as Brandt fizzed just wide from a freekick. Essen also made some alterations with Marvin Obuz and Bouebari introduced. However, Dortmund eventually broke the deadlock with 11 minutes remaining. Bensebaini fed Guirassy on the edge of the box who swivelled and whipped the ball inside the right post beyond Golz.

A couple of half chances fell the way of Essen which ultimately didn't trouble Dortmund's Swiss shot-stopper. Uwe Koschinat committed to the final throw of the dice as Kelsey Owusu replaced Gjasula. With 4 minutes of additional time added on, Tom Moustari tested Kobel from range, but the equaliser never arrived as BVB advanced.