BERLIN (AP) — Donyell Malen scored late for Borussia Dortmund to start the Bundesliga with a fortunate 1-0 win over Cologne on Saturday, though it didn’t prevent memories of the team’s missed title chance from being revived.
Dortmund labored for long periods to break through the well-drilled visitor's disciplined unit and was fortunate that Cologne’s Davie Selke, Dejan Ljubicic and substitute Sargis Adamyan did not score. Dortmund looked set for another disappointing draw at home in the league.
In its previous game at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund failed to wrap up the title last season when it was held by Mainz to 2-2 on the final day, when Bayern Munich capitalized with a 2-1 win in Cologne.
Malen scored in the 88th minute when he bundled the ball in at the far post after a corner, and Dortmund’s luck held as Max Finkgräfe missed another chance for Cologne to equalize with the last kick of the game.
Malen had been due to go off just minutes before he scored, but Dortmund coach Edin Terzić changed his mind and took off the injured Julian Ryerson instead.
While fans and players celebrated with Malen when he scored, Terzić, sporting director Sebastian Kehl and chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke all stayed poker-faced, aware there were still some minutes to play.
LEVERKUSEN CELEBRATES
Jeremie Frimpong scored one goal and set up another for Bayer Leverkusen to defeat Leipzig 3-2 in their opening game.
Victor Boniface, making his league debut after his transfer from Belgium’s Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, set up Frimpong for the opener in the 24th minute.
Jonathan Tah headed the second from a corner in the 35th, only for Dani Olmo to reply in likewise fashion for Leipzig five minutes later.
Leipzig coach Marco Rose tried to shake things up with three changes in the 62nd, but Florian Wirtz scored two minutes later for Leverkusen with a wonderful lob over goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, in off the crossbar following a fine team move involving Frimpong and Odilon Kossounou.
Belgian striker Loïs Openda responded in the 71st with his first Bundesliga goal for Leipzig, but coach Xabi Alonso’s team stayed cool to see out the win.
STUTTGART FINE WITHOUT ENDO
Stuttgart showed no ill-effect from losing captain Wataru Endo to Liverpool the previous day as both Serhou Guirassy and Silas Katompa Mvumpa scored twice in a 5-0 rout of visiting Bochum.
Promoted Heidenheim slumped to a 2-0 loss at Wolfsburg on its Bundesliga debut. The visitor got off to a bad start when Jonas Wind scored in the sixth minute. The Danish forward grabbed his second in the 27th.
Tomáš Čvančara scored a late penalty to rescue a 4-4 draw for Borussia Mönchengladbach at Augsburg. The home team had come from two goals down to lead until Čvančara equalized in the seventh minute of injury time.
Also, Freiburg defeated Hoffenheim 2-1 away.
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