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E-mail Xinhua, November 6, 2024
Borussia Dortmund secured its third Champions League win of the campaign as substitute Donyell Malen scored the decisive goal to defeat Sturm Graz 1-0 on Tuesday.
Dortmund started strongly on home soil and nearly opened the scoring after just six minutes when Marcel Sabitzer headed over Pascal Gross' pinpoint cross.
The hosts had another opportunity to take the lead in the 15th minute, but Sturm goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen denied promising efforts from Sabitzer and Maximilian Beier in quick succession.
Graz showed signs of life soon after, with captain Otar Kiteishvili testing Dortmund goalkeeper Alexander Meyer from 16 meters.
Dortmund remained the more active side, keeping Graz's defense under pressure, with Serhou Guirassy firing just wide from the edge of the area on the half-hour mark.
Graz, however, continued to threaten and missed another good chance to shock the home side when Jusuf Gazibegovic shot wide from a tight angle following a counterattack.
Dortmund failed to find the breakthrough before halftime, as Beier's solo run and low shot from a central position was saved by Scherpen.
After the restart, Dortmund continued to press forward, keeping Sturm on the back foot. Nuri Sahin's men controlled the flow of play but struggled to find an opening in Sturm's well-organized defense, resulting in limited chances in the early stages of the second half.
The crowd had to wait until the 71st minute for the next clear opportunity, when Mika Biereth missed a close-range header.
Dortmund finally broke the deadlock in the 85th minute through substitute Malen, who had come on ten minutes earlier. Malen exchanged passes with Guirassy before slotting the ball past Scherpen into the bottom left-hand corner.
Graz's resilience was broken, but Dortmund was unable to add to its tally in the closing stages.
"We conceded very few chances, created a lot of opportunities, and took a long time to score. At the end of the day, the only thing that counts is the win and the fact that we didn't concede a goal," said Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck.
The result marked Dortmund's third win in four matches, moving them up to fourth place for the time being, while Sturm Graz remains in 32nd place in the Champions League phase table.
