In the opening minutes, Black and Yellow struggled to get a handle on their opponents or the game, lost many one-on-one battles, and lacked cohesion on defense. After a Cristante cross was initially blocked, a ball that was unluckily deflected by Nmecha was slotted into the far corner by Dybala (4th minute). Five minutes later, the unmarked Cristante headed a Dybala corner into the far corner from close range—0–2.
BVB—once again with Svensson on the right, meaning Ryerson was on the left—was then wide awake after this “cold shower” in the hot, humid weather. Svensson’s cross caused problems for Roma goalkeeper Svilar; Karetsas crossed the deflected ball back into the box from the left corner of the penalty area, Svensson laid it off, and Ryerson got his foot on it (12'). After the quick goal to cut the deficit, Borussia pushed for the equalizer, and Karetsas received repeated applause from the stands for his direct runs. In the 28th minute, he feigned taking a free kick; instead, Ryerson crossed the ball in from the left, where it fell to Guirassy’s foot on the five-meter line and found the back of the net for the 2–2 tie.
Karetsas’s shot off the crossbar after halftime
The 81,365 spectators in the sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK were treated to more spectacular moments in the minutes that followed. First, Rensch missed what should have been a sure 3–2 lead for Roma after a cross from Malen (29'). Almost immediately afterward, Karetsas set up Inacio, who found himself one-on-one with Svilar but was denied by the goalkeeper’s strong save.
Karetsas’ thunderous shot off the crossbar had the fans on their feet at the start of the second half (48’); two minutes later, he forced Svilar into a save with a powerful strike—a pass to the centrally positioned Guirassy might have been a more promising option here.
After an hour, it was time for substitutions, which didn’t help the flow of the game but were important for game experience. Sabitzer’s goal for what would have been a 3–2 lead was disallowed. However, the substitute midfielder was still in his own half at the moment the ball was played (71'). Ten minutes before the end, Silva was denied by the goalkeeper. Kobel was also called into action again: in the 85th minute following a cheeky free kick by Dybala.
Borussia Dortmund – AS ROM 2–2 (2–2)
Season opener
BVB: Kobel – Gadou (80. Reggiani), Mane, Bensebaini – Svensson, Bellingham, Nmecha (72. Yamamoto), Ryerson (72. Kaua Prates) – Karetsas (59. Sabitzer), Inacio (59. Albert) – Guirassy (59. Silva)Bench: Drewes, Meyer; Lerma, Azhil, RiedlAbsent: Anton (training management), Beier (knee contusion), Can (torn cruciate ligament), Chukwuemeka (muscle issues), Schlotterbeck (ankle)
Roma: Svilar (86. Gollini) – Mancini (76. Ghilardi), Ndicka (86. Ziolkowski), Hermoso (59. Koulierakis) – Lulli (76. Reale), Cristante, El Aynaoui (59. Koné), Rensch (59. Molina) – Dybala (86. Mannini), Soulé (76. Vaz) – Malen (59. Castro)