Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Weigl scored his first professional goal to help his side to a 2-1 away victory against Sporting Lisbon.
The 21-year-old’s 22-yard stunner came after Dortmund had taken the lead in the ninth minute through Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s impudent finish.
The hosts were much improved and the second half and got one back after Bruno César fired home from a free-kick after a Marc Bartra back pass.
Sporting began the game well and made inroads on Dortmund’s left-hand side, which caused 18-year-old Felix Passlack to look particularly uncomfortable. However, despite the home side’s pressure, it was Dortmund who struck the first blow.
Mario Götze fed a lovely ball through to Aubameyang, who, after shrugging off the challenge of Rúben Semedo, dinked the ball calmly over the advancing Rui Patricio.
However, rather than seeing a backlash from the hosts, it was Dortmund, if anyone, who looked like scoring the next goal in what was a rather tepid middle period of the half. Gradually, Sporting increased their tempo, and after Bas Dost headed a cross from the right wide, two minutes later Elias beat off the challenge of Passlack after lovely interchanging football, only to see his effort denied by Roman Bürki.
All of a sudden the game opened up and chances were aplenty. Aubameyang will be wondering how he only managed a single goal in the first half, seeing his low drive saved after Patricio had flapped at the initial Ginter cross, before he diverted a header from a Ousmane Dembélé cross and a left-footed effort wide of the goal.
At the other end, Sebastian Coates thought he had equalised for his side following a corner, only to see the flag raised for a foul on Bürki by Dost.
Nevertheless, Dortmund were not to be denied a second goal before the break, with Weigl robbing Sporting of the ball, beating another man before curling a measured finish into the bottom corner to score his first professional goal.
A minute after the break, Bürki was forced to scramble to his right to save an improvised finish from the flourishing Gelson Martins. However, halfway through the second half, Sporting got their lifeline. After a passback from Bartra, Sporting substitute César thumped the resulting free-kick from inside the box down the middle of the goal.
A minute later, the hosts really should have been level, but Dost failed to hit the target with a free header following a cross from the left-hand side. Sebastian Rode and Łukasz Piszczek were called upon by Tuchel to stem the flow of Sporting’s resurgence, replacing Matthias Ginter and Bartra respectively.
However, it was Christian Pulisic who could have definitively put an end to the hosts’ hopes, but his volley, after Patricio had punched a free-kick straight to him, rattled the bar before going over.
Sporting had two more opportunities to try and draw level, but no one could divert Gelson’s cross-shot into the net, whilst Ezequiel Schelotto headed the ball straight into Bürki’s arms after the Swiss goalkeeper had punched a cross straight into the Italian’s path.
However, Dortmund held out for seven additional minutes to secure their first win in four games and deliver a rare home defeat to Sporting before the sides meet again in Dortmund in a fortnight’s time.
