Borussia Dortmund forward Fabio Silva feels the side needs to improve their final passes in the box as they returned from the BVB Evonik Japan Tour with a slender 1-0 win over FC Tokyo at the weekend.
The Portuguese striker was on target for the BVB, finding the net in the 54th minute with a powerful strike from near the edge of the box as Tokyo's resistence was broken. It was enough to hand an other wasteful Dortmund side a win.
The victory eased some of the pressure that had mounted following back-to-back losses to Fortuna Dusseldorf and Cerezo Osaka as their pre-season campaign threatened to go off the rails with fans growing increasingly frustrated with lackluster performances.
On Sunday, the Black and Yellow were visibly more menacing going forward as many of their World Cup stars were back for the first time and it helped them assert their control over the proceedings, while creating a few chances.
However, it didn't quite click for them until Silva's goal, partly due to torrential rains in Tokyo on the day but also because of a compelling lack of cutting edge in the final third. Silva lamented this after the game, while urging his side to improve it.
"“We had some good stretches with the ball in the first half. Of course, we can still improve in certain situations – for example, with the final pass – myself included. There were moments when I could have made better passes on two or three plays, but that’s normal; after all, it’s preseason.""he told the press after the game
The 24-year-old was starting for the first time since their opening preseason clash to RW Oberhausen on 18 July and repaid manager Niko Kovac's faith with the winning goal.
Eyes on silverware this season
Borussia Dortmund's trophyless run extended to five years last term after the side failed to end their season with any silverware.
A late implosion saw their title ambitions fizzle out in no time during the home stretch after having pushed Bayern Munich all season, while making early exits from the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League.
But Silva insists the side is keen to end the barren run in the 2026-27 season as Dortmund hopes to compete fiercely on all fronts.
" "We have to prepare for what lies ahead in the Bundesliga, the Cup, and the Champions League, because we didn’t win any titles last season. We played a lot of good games, but we want to develop a winning mentality and win titles. Because playing for these colors means winning titles. That’s exactly what we want to achieve this season.”"the forward added
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