News summary
Nine minutes in, Borussia Dortmund were two goals down at home to Roma. Paulo Dybala struck early and Bryan Cristante headed the second, though Julian Ryerson and Serhou Guirassy had the hosts level inside the opening half hour of Saturday's 2-2 finish.
Niko Kovac refused to dress up the start. In the club's post-match reactions the coach said his side "weren't there at all" for eight minutes, praised the response that followed, then reminded everyone that friendly results count for nothing.
Lars Ricken saw plenty to like. The managing director called the first half "quite a spectacle" and reckoned that facing Arsenal and Roma inside a week leaves Die Schwarzgelben going into the Supercup in good heart.
Before kick-off the stage belonged to both squads. Dortmund presented their 2026/27 men's and women's teams to a packed house, and new captain Alexandra Popp drew the loudest reception of the afternoon before talking up the women's promotion push.
Waldemar Anton spoke for a lot of people. "We all missed being here very much," he said.
Nobby Dickel then asked Maximilian Beier whether he preferred scoring or assisting, and got a third option back: the derby.
Three names were missing from the teamsheet. Carney Chukwuemeka (muscle trouble), Waldemar Anton (workload) and Beier (knee) all missed the Roma test, and Kovac will want all three fit for Bayern.
Filippo Mane took the best marks of the night. He was given 7.5 in the post-match player ratings, one notch below Ryerson, whose goal and free-kick assist earned an 8 on his first outing since the World Cup.
Guirassy's near-post finish ended a four-game barren spell. His FotMob profile has him down for 17 Bundesliga goals last season.
Mats Hummels turned up and talked. Sky Sport got him at the season launch, where he called Said El Mala "a weapon" in one-on-one duels. It's a pity that El Mala won't be heading to the Westfalenstadion any time soon.
Would he take a job at his old club one day? He said he would welcome it eventually, just not while retirement still lets him keep his diary free.
There was a derby win to enjoy as well. Dortmund's under-19s beat Schalke on Saturday when an early own goal settled the Revierderby, a result their coach put down to youthful madness and karma.
Transfer news
Hector Fort is the name now. Dortmund have held talks over the 20-year-old Barcelona right-back and are best placed to sign him, per late-Saturday reporting from Florian Plettenberg and Matteo Moretto.
Barcelona want somewhere between €15m and €20m euros, though they would take less in exchange for a buy-back clause. Fort would rather move to England, where Liverpool and Everton have both shown interest in him.
Yan Couto is at Como on loan. That leaves Ryerson as the only natural right-sided full-back Kovac has, so the logic behind the interest is not hard to follow.
Luca Reggiani has admirers in Italy. Inter Milan have asked about the teenager after selling Matteo Motta, per Football Italia, though Dortmund have shown no appetite for losing him.
Reggiani signed fresh terms in March and has since slipped behind Mane in the centre-back order. A loan therefore looks likelier than a sale.
Carsten Cramer drew a line under the week's biggest story. Dortmund's managing director told Sky Sport the club had lodged what it believed was a bold offer for El Mala, that Köln rejected it, and that Friday's exit from the bidding was final.
He also hinted at what comes next. "We have something good up our sleeve," Cramer said.
A different plan is already in motion, and Dortmund hope to close it inside days.
Ricken made a similar promise at the season launch, where he announced more incoming business.
Supercup week starts here
Kovac has one more training week. Bayern Munich visit for the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup on Saturday, an 8.30pm kick-off that sold out back in July.
Assistant coach Ole Book wants a sharper team by then. He blamed the early defensive muddle partly on a squad only recently back to full strength, and reckoned his squad should hit its peak level by the Bundesliga opener at the latest.
BVB Buzz opinion
Dortmund were willing to break their transfer record for Said El Mala. Then they stopped.
Cramer's account is that Köln's valuation went past the point where ambition tips into recklessness, a line the club decided it could not cross without losing its head. BVB Buzz had already argued that walking away carried an upside.
Fort tells you where the money might go instead. A full-back at €15m to €20m euros is a different sort of player from a potential club-record winger.
He fills the gap Couto left rather than crowding a forward line where Karetsas, Inacio, Beier and Fabio Silva already scrap over minutes.
Supporters have not landed in one place. Under the half-time reaction to the Roma draw one fan wanted two starters sold on the spot, and the mood after the full ninety was warmer.
Both readings can be right. A young squad that concedes twice in nine minutes has obvious work to do, yet it also came back at a Serie A side without three senior players and created enough to win.
Bayern arrive on Saturday. By then Kovac wants Anton and Chukwuemeka back, and Ricken wants at least one more signing through the door at Brackel.
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