"Bad changes as always" - Fans rip into Niko Kovac as BVB beat Hamburg 2-0 in Bundesliga opener

Borussia Dortmund began their 2026-27 Bundesliga season with a 2-0 win over Hamburg on Saturday as first-half goals from Serhou Guirassy and debutant Giannis Konstantelias earned them all three points.

Just a week on from their disappointing Franz Beckenbauer Supercup loss to arch-rivals Bayern Munich, Niko Kovac's side had a point to prove and did so in convincing fashion by putting their visitors to the sword in a rampant opening stanza.

Just nine minutes into the match, Guirassy fired the BVB in front with a powerful low-drive into the bottom corner following a fabulous link-up play with Konstantinos Karetsas, who saw a shot saved just moments later.

In the closing stages of the half, Konstantelias raced inside the box to connect with a layoff from Maximilian Beier and fire between two Hamburg players that took a deflection on its way into the back of the net.

The Greek gun's evening however, was cut short in the 54th minute after picking up a knock while things went from bad to worse for the hosts late on when Samuele Inacio was shown a straight red in the 77th minute.

Luckily for them, Die Rothosen didn't create enough chances while Gregor Kobel was also on hand to save some vital saves as Dortmund rose to a 2-0 win on the opening day of the new Bundesliga season.

Here's how the fans reacted:

One X user wrote;

"3 points—important!
Brilliantly strong first half, lackluster second half.

Just hoping and praying it’s nothing too serious for Telias... otherwise, we’ll have to take action again."

Another fan lashed out at Kovac for the change of play in the second half:

"We have a coaching problem.

Terrible. It's awful that we just played defensively again in the second half.

Such ugly #Kovac football.

Kovac should do an internship at Kompany and learn some mentality.

Wimp."

The sentiment was echoed by this X user:

"A total tactical failure by our coach. You bring on Sabitzer—a defender in name only—instead of someone like Silva or Inacio; you let HSV right back into the game and then just try to bunker down to see it out. It’s simply unbearable—what is the point of this moronic philosophy?"

This fan too was irked at Kovac's questionable substitutions too:

"Without the Greeks, we’d be absolutely lost!!! Kovac-style football in the second half! Sabitzer coming on for Konstantelias—nobody would believe it!"

Another Dortmund fan wrote:

"Strong first half, but unfortunately we couldn't get anything going in the second half—we certainly lost our rhythm due to the injury. One can only hope it’s nothing serious. But we move on; the win was important. BVB all the way 🖤🖤💛💛"

Kovac found another critic in this X user, who tweeted:

"The result is okay, but those disastrous, shitty substitutions show once again that Kovac is absolutely the wrong coach..."

An injury for Konstantelias has another fan clamoring for one more signing in his place:

"The first half leaves you wanting more! If it turns out to be a cruciate ligament injury for Konstantelias, it is absolutely essential to bring in another player of a similar profile—even Sancho, for all I care..."

This X user wrote:

"Bad substitutions, as always.
The second half was abysmal, as expected.
Hopefully it's nothing serious for him 🙏"

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