Borussia Dortmund began the new Bundesliga campaign with a 2-0 win over Hamburg at the Signal Iduna Park on Saturday as Serhou Guirassy and debutant Giannis Konstantelias scored in the first half for them.
Samuele Inacio was sent off in the 77th minute, just three minutes after having been substituted, for a rash challenge, forcing the BVB to play with a man down for the closing stages of the game although Die Rothosen never threatened them enough and Dortmund secured all three points.
Here are some important talking points from the match:
1) A game of two halves
If Borussia Dortmund were rampant in the first half, they looked utterly ragged in the second. Goals from Serhou Guirassy and Giannis Konstantelias gave them a two-goal cushion while Konstantinos Karetsas also had a go at goal as the hosts were off to a breathtaking start.
But, it all went downhill after the break, particularly with Konstantelias going off with a concerning injury. Niko Kovac then brings Marcel Sabitzer in his place which seemed to slow down the tempo while Samuele Inacio was shown a red for rash challenge in the 77th minute.
All the pace and panache with which the BVB contested the first half turned into a painfully prosaic passing play as Hamburg were simply content to sit back and absorb it all, denying Dortmund a chance to find a third goal.
2) Greek guns shine on debut
Greek signings Konstantinos Karetsas and Giannis Konstantelias started on their Bundesliga debuts and delivered a scintillating performance. Karetsas bagged the assist for Guirassy's opener following a neat one-two with the striker while Konstantelias scored their second of the night.
Both the lads ran with purpose, appearing unpurturbed by the big occasion, while also controlling the ball superbly in tight spaces and communicating with their fellow attacking cohorts well. But unfortunately, Konstantelias succumbed to a grim injury in the 54th minute, which reportedly could sideline him for a while.
3) Guirassy shows who's the boss
The Guinean ace had a terrible game against Bayern Munich in the Supercup defeat last weekend. Making matters worse was watching his second-fiddle Fabio Silva get on target instead with the Portuguese increasingly making a case for himself in the starting XI.
Yet, Kovac stuck with Guirassy as their lone striker last night and he delivered, at last. Following a sublime link-up with Karetsas, the 30-year-old gets inside the box, clinically evades his marker and then arrows a superb effort into the bottom corner for 1-0 in just the ninth minute.
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