"Borussia Dortmund aiming for a decisive victory in a double-elimination match."
Borussia Dortmund (BVB) faced a shocking defeat in their opening game of the 2023/24 Bundesliga season, losing 3-4 to St. Pauli at the Millerntor Stadium.
The Yellows had been in control of the match until the 86th minute, leading 3-1, but a red card shown to Filippo Mané following a video referee intervention changed the course of the game. Mané was sent off for holding Abdoulie Ceesay in the penalty area, leading to a penalty kick for St. Pauli.
Nikola Vasilj saved strongly against Guirassy's shot, but the resulting penalty was successfully converted by Danel Sinani, making the score 2-3. The equalizer came shortly after, with Andréas Hountondji heading in Sinani's pass to level the match at 3-3.
The BVB squad and fans had to navigate through the Kirmes Sommerdom next to the Millerntor Stadium, adding to the chaos of the game.
The head coach of Borussia Dortmund for the season is Niko Kovač, who was given a contract extension until 2027 after initially joining in the previous season and successfully stabilizing the team. Despite the loss, Kovač's men had taken an early lead through defender Waldemar Anton, with his deflected shot sending the BVB fans into raptures.
Julian Brandt increased Dortmund's lead with a fine finish as a substitute, but St. Pauli's new signing Hountondji was in the spotlight, failing to score against Kobel after a positional error by defender Anton.
The match took a dramatic turn when Guirassy scored the lead for St. Pauli with a header after a cross from Marcel Sabitzer. The BVB squad and fans were left stunned when Eric Smith equalized at 3-3 in the 89th minute with a long-range strike.
Julian Brandt expressed dissatisfaction with the red card, stating that Dortmund had received six red cards in the previous season. Gregor Kobel, the Dortmund goalkeeper, stated that the penalty was awarded because Mané held Ceesay too long and threw him off balance a bit. Referee Matthias Joellenbeck awarded the penalty to St. Pauli and sent off Mané after consulting the VAR.
The match was played in front of a sold-out Millerntor Stadium, with 29,546 spectators in attendance. The defeat marks the first time BVB has lost their opening game of the new Bundesliga season since 2014.
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