Guirassy's late strike secures a vital victory for Dortmund against St. Pauli.
Borussia Dortmund maintained their perfect home record this season with a 2-1 victory over Bundesliga newcomers FC St. Pauli, thanks to a decisive goal from Serhou Guirassy. This win extended their remarkable unbeaten streak at home to 39 consecutive matches.
The return to the Westfalenstadion, where Dortmund had previously secured all three of their Bundesliga victories this season, was made slightly more challenging by the fact that their opponents had recently achieved a 3-0 victory against Freiburg in their last away match, marking their first top-flight win in over 13 years.
The hosts had an opportunity to take the lead when Guirassy failed to convert a one-on-one chance against Nikola Vasilj. Shortly thereafter, Dapo Afolayan surged forward, but his attempt was thwarted by a timely sliding tackle from Ramy Bensebaini.
This moment sparked a wave of excitement for St. Pauli, culminating in a celebration from the Gästeblock when Morgan Guilavogui tapped in Eric Smith’s inswinging free kick, although the goal was later disallowed for offside.
The visitors' misfortune continued as Dortmund took the lead just before half-time, with Bensebaini scoring a well-placed header from Pascal Groß’s cross, adding to his recent goal for Algeria.
Alexander Blessin likely felt his team was unfortunate at the interval, given their commendable first-half display. However, Dortmund created several significant opportunities through Guirassy and Donyell Malen, which went unconverted.
With the absence of a two-goal cushion, the match remained finely balanced, and it took a moment of brilliance for the away side to equalize. Centre-back Eric Smith connected with a cleared ball from outside the area, unleashing a powerful half-volley that found the top corner of Gregor Kobel’s net.
St. Pauli certainly merited the equalizer; however, Dortmund demonstrated their resilience and the reasons behind their formidable reputation in the Ruhrpott.
Just moments later, substitute Jamie Gittens skillfully maneuvered past his defender and delivered a cross into the six-yard box, where Guirassy rose above Karol Mets to head in the decisive goal.
St. Pauli has yet to depart the Westfalenstadion as victors, while Dortmund secures a temporary position in the top four ahead of the remaining weekend matches, marking their eighth consecutive home win across all competitions.
SportsLigue