Borussia Dortmund succumbed to a shock 2-1 loss to Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday as their pre-season campaign suffered an early setback.
Having beaten RW Oberhausen in their first match of the summer, the BVB were widely expected to get the job done at the Merkur Spiel-Arena too.
Mathis Albert's 20th-minute opener even had their noses in front at the break but a second half collapse saw Dusseldorf snatch a facile win.
Here are three talking points from the match:
1) Albert joins list of teenage goalscorers
After witnessing Takato Yamamoto and Justin Lerma score in their first game, it was Mathis Albert's turn to get on target for the club as the young American connected with a long pass from goalkeeper Alexander Meyer before catching the Dusseldorf custodian inside the box to fire into an empty net.
Although the match ended in a defeat for Niko Kovac's side, it's true that pre-season games are for evaluating players and figuring out tactical systems rather than focusing on results. So in keeping with that, it was encouraging to see young guns rise to the fore once again for Dortmund.
2) Dortmund undone by defensive implosion
Borussia Dortmund were leading 1-0 at the break but a raft of changes in the second half meant they lost control of the match and let Dusseldorf score twice. They conceded the equalizer from a set-piece, unable to clear an incoming free-kick that was flicked on for Fabian Schleusener.
Late into the match, Anas Slimani put the hosts in front after Dusseldorf hit Dortmund on the break to complete their comeback. While it was good to see Kovac give all his players a chance, their lack of defensive cohesion in that calamitious second half will concern him ahead of their Japan tour.
3) Kovac makes sweeping changes
Dortmund manager Niko Kovac played a total of 23 players in the contest, giving every single player on the roster a chance to express himself. And while it may not have yielded the desired result on the day, the Croatian was essentially handing them a fitness exercise after having amped up their training sessions in the second week.
With most of their 2026 FIFA World Cup stars still away and young guns from the U19 side as well as the summer arrivals still integrating into the squad, this is BVB's tactical experiment in motion as they figure out their best system for a successful 2026-27 campaign.
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