Borussia Dortmund had to wait until stoppage time to seal a hard-fought 1–0 victory over FC Cologne in the Bundesliga, with Maximilian Beier emerging as the hero for Die Borussen.
Playing at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday night, Dortmund faced a tough challenge from the visitors. Mid-table Cologne put up a spirited fight and caused plenty of problems throughout the match.
In the early stages, it was actually Cologne who created more danger, forcing Dortmund to stay sharp at the back. The home side only began to find their rhythm after the half-hour mark, with Karim Adeyemi and company finally pushing forward, though the first half ended goalless.
The second half saw Dortmund pile on the pressure, with Felix Nmecha, Nico Schlotterbeck, and Serhou Guirassy all testing the Cologne defense.
In the 68th minute, Dortmund brought on Max Beier to replace Carney Chukwuemeka a move that proved decisive. The 23-year-old striker found the back of the net deep into stoppage time, tapping home from a corner in the 90+6th minute to secure all three points for the hosts.
The win keeps Borussia Dortmund in third place on the Bundesliga table with 17 points from eight matches, trailing Bayern Munich (24) and RB Leipzig (19). Meanwhile, FC Cologne remain in eighth place with 11 points.
