Samuele Inácio stars as Borussia Dortmund sink fifth-tier HEBC in DFB Cup
Borussia Dortmund defeated HEBC 5-0 in the opening round of the DFB Cup after a standout performance from youngster Samuele Inácio. The Italian bounced back from a red card against Hamburg last weekend to score an impressive brace and help seal his side's place in the last 32.
HEBC 0-5 Borussia Dortmund
Goals: 0-1 Wrede 33’ O.G. 0-2 Svensson 36’ (assist: Ryerson), 0-3 Inácio 41’ (assist: Sabitzer), 0-4 Inácio 45’+2 (assist: Ryerson), 0-5 Silva 59’ (assist: Veerman)
Kovač made seven changes to his starting eleven after the Bundesliga opener, with Alexander Meyer replacing Gregor Kobel in goal and Joey Veerman making his full debut. Ramy Bensebaini was suspended following his red card in the Supercup, while Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck remained sidelined through injury. Mathis Albert, meanwhile, made his first professional start.
HEBC hold firm before floodgates open
Dortmund dominated possession from the outset but struggled to fashion clear openings against the well-organised Oberliga side. Marcel Sabitzer fired wide early on, Samuele Inácio hit the side-netting, while Robert Schick even tested Meyer at the other end. HEBC's resistance lasted just over half an hour, with goalkeeper Jannik Schoon producing a fine save to deny Felix Nmecha.
The deadlock finally broke in the 33rd minute when Julian Ryerson's cross was diverted into his own net by Janek Wrede. Dortmund doubled their advantage three minutes later through Svensson, who finished first-time after another Ryerson delivery, before Inácio added a third just before the break, firing home from close range after good work involving Sabitzer and Ryerson.
Inácio and Silva find the net
Dortmund were not finished before half-time, however. Inácio combined again with Ryerson to steer in his second of the game in the second minute of stoppage time, making it 4-0 at the interval after a half in which HEBC had defended admirably before their resistance finally cracked.
Kovač made a triple change at the interval, introducing Maximilian Beier and Carney Chukwuemeka along with new goalkeeper Nils Ahmann for HEBC. Dortmund continued to press after the restart, and Fabio Silva made it 5-0 in the 59th minute, rolling the ball home after Veerman had driven into the box. HEBC's new goalkeeper Ahmann then produced several important saves, including a fine stop to deny Konstantinos Karetsas and further efforts from Silva, preventing the scoreline from growing. Hammed Nawaz picked up a yellow card in the 72nd minute for HEBC, the only card of the match.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: HEBC 0.03 - Dortmund 3.63
Fastest player: Tjorven Köhler (HEBC), 33.76 km/h
Lowest goal probability: Wrede (og) - own goal, no xG recorded
Pass efficiency: Joey Veerman (Dortmund), +6.11
