Four players suffer injuries as Borussia Dortmund are beaten by Athletic Bilbao in St. Gallen

Multiple players suffered injuries as Borussia Dortmund suffered a 2-0 defeat in their pre-season friendly against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

The beautiful city of St. Gallen was the host of Borussia Dortmund’s toughest pre-season challenge so far. Not only did Athletic Bilbao get the win, but the Black and Yellows were also plagued by a number of injuries. Gio Reyna, Marius Wolf, Mahmoud Dahoud and youngster Jamie Bynoe-Gittens all suffered knocks.

"Head coach Marco Rose said after the game, “We have to examine the guys. I do think we have injuries where guys are going to be out for a certain amount of time. That’s certainly the biggest issue today.”"

Marco Rose sent out a strong starting XI, featuring the likes of Mahmoud Dahoud, Julian Brandt, Marco Reus and Erling Haaland, who recently joined the team in training after his break. Gio Reyna was also named in the starting XI, but had to be withdrawn after suffering a thigh injury during the pre-match warm-up.

Right from the get-go it was evident that the Athletic Bilbao players were further ahead in their preparation. They applied an intense pressure on Borussia Dortmund’s defensive units, who were forced to give up possession time and time again. Bilbao created many opportunities and were certainly the better side during the first 45 minutes of play.

Nonetheless, the Black and Yellows had a few moments of encouragement. Gregor Kobel did well to prevent a first-half goal for Bilbao after Papadopoulos inadvertently deflected a shot towards his own goal.

Marco Reus also had his moments of magic, taking on opposition players with ease and creating chances for the team. One such moment led to a brilliant opening, but neither Julian Brandt nor Erling Haaland could get to the ball in time to apply the finish.

Unfortunately for the Borussia Dortmund fans, things did not get any better in the second half. Roman Bürki replaced Gregor Kobel at half time. But only five minutes later, his imprecise attempt to clear a cross with his fists got him in trouble as he gave away a clear penalty. Raúl García took the spot-kick and buried the ball into the back of the net.

Only a few minutes later, Daniel Vivian doubled Bilbao’s lead from a set piece. Borussia Dortmund’s make-shift defence continued to look shaky as the game went on, and they also failed to create any decent openings on the other end of the pitch in the second half.

Injuries continued to haunt Borussia Dortmund in the second half, with Marius Wolf, Mahmoud Dahoud and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens all forced to go off after picking up knocks.

In the end, Athletic Bilbao ran out comfortable winners. From a Borussia Dortmund perspective, it is important to note that they were missing 15 first-team players for this game. And things will no doubt improve once those players return from their respective summer breaks. In the mean time, Marco Rose has plenty of work to do with his current set of players before their next pre-season match against Bologna next Friday.