Record crowd, shot barrage and Kovac praise for two youngsters

50,971 fans came to Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion on 17 August 2024 to watch BVB play and win (4-1) against Phönix Lübeck in the first round of the DFB-Pokal – a record attendance for a first-round match in the competition! A good two years later, not on an early Saturday but on a late Tuesday evening, 45,917 fans were at the same venue – setting a new benchmark for DFB-Pokal matches involving a fifth-division team.

Borussia Dortmund registered 38 shots in their 5-0 (4-0) win over Hamburg Eimsbütteler Ballspiel Club. The team also racked up a remarkable 118.4 kilometers of distance covered. Their opponents managed two attempts and 112 km.

The most shots were taken by 18-year-old Samuele Inacio. Two of his seven efforts found the net – the young Italian’s first professional brace! He was followed by 17-year-old Mathis Albert (six shots) and 24-year-old Fabio Silva (also six).

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“Of course, it was also about giving the boys minutes. We had 17-year-old Mathis Albert in there today, and he did well,” said BVB coach Niko Kovac. “One-on-one situations are his strength. Samu scored two goals – excellent! We also used the match to give them a stage. There were 45,000 people in the stadium, and that’s something special for the young players.”

Mathis Albert made his first professional start on the left wing. He joined BVB’s youth setup from the United States in summer 2024 and made a brief Bundesliga appearance toward the end of last season. (br)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.