Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Niko Kovac is looking forward to seeing the impact that youngster Takato Yamamoto can have on Borussia Dortmund after he scored on his debut.
Dortmund beat Rot-Weiss Oberhausen 3-1 in their first pre-season friendly, coming from behind, with Yamamoto netting the final goal.
The 18-year-old, who has joined Dortmund’s Under-23s on a season-long loan from Gamba Osaka, but has been included in their pre-season squad and came on at half-time to make an impact for the Black and Yellow.
No player on the pitch had more shots than him (three) or played more passes in the final third (15), while he contested the joint-most duels (eight) and won possession five times.
Kovac was also impressed with the teenager’s performance and is excited to see what else he can do going forward.
“I saw him for the first time on Thursday, so I didn’t know him before that either,” Kovac said.
“He showed some good things. I really saw some promising stuff there, and that’s going to be a joy for us.”
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) July 18, 2026
Yamamoto was not the only debutant to score, though, with 18-year-old Justin Lerma also hitting the back of the net in the first half.
And Enzo de Pina Duarte dos Santos also had a huge impact, setting up Serhou Guirassy for his second-half goal.
And asked about the debutants, Kovac added: “These are lads who clearly have potential, and each has strengths in his own area—but of course, each also has room for improvement in his own area.
“The lads need to get to know each other and quickly learn what we want.”
Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga last season, finishing 16 points behind champions Bayern Munich.
Kovac’s side begin the 2026-27 season with a DFL-Supercup match-up against Bayern before beginning their league campaign at home against Hamburg.
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