DORTMUND: Borussia Dortmund forward Serhou Guirassy headed an 83rd-minute winner to hand them a 2-1 victory over visiting St Pauli on Friday and provisionally lift them to fourth place in the Bundesliga.

Leading by a goal after Ramy Bensebaini’s excellent first-half header, Dortmund were pegged back by a stunning long-range effort from Eric Smith to level things up with 12 minutes remaining.

Guirassy stepped up in the dying stages, heading in an inch-perfect Jamie Gittens cross to put Dortmund back in front.

The Guinean, who joined Dortmund in the summer, now has 12 goals in his past eight games for club and country.

Dortmund had lost 2-1 at Union Berlin on the previous matchday, but bounced back to protect their 100% win rate in home matches this season.

They have not enjoyed the best of starts, failing to win on the road so far and they have not managed back-to-back wins in the league this season. “We were calm in the first half and we knew it would take some time to find the spaces,” Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin told a press conference. “But when you don’t kill off the game by scoring a second goal then we conceded an incredible goal. But the boys kept at it and scored a second one. It was important to have four wins out of four at home and to be in touch with the top spots.”

Top of the Champions League table after two games, Dortmund face Real Madrid on Tuesday, the side who beat them 2-0 in last season’s final. “It wasn’t easy. In the first half we had a bit of luck, but we had chances of our own and could have scored more. We’re happy and also relieved,” Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt told DAZN. “The goal we conceded was an absolute dream goal. The lads did well. I don’t think we can complain today.”

The hosts dominated early on and could have scored well before they took a deserved lead through Bensebaini’s looping header two minutes before the break.

Earlier St Pauli’s Morgan Guilavogui had found the back of the net but his effort was ruled offside.

Dortmund should have added more goals after the break with Julian Brandt and Donyell Malen among others spurning chances but instead it was the visitors who struck with Smith’s 30-metre missile in the 78th minute.

Sensing another poor league result, Dortmund clicked into gear and pushed forward, Guirassy leaping high to head in a Gittens cross for his fourth goal of the campaign to lift Dortmund to 13 points.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2024