:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/50306555/GettyImages-530732722.0.jpg)
Triallists Charles N'Zogbia and Steven Pienaar weren't involved tonight, with Sebastian Larrson also missing, and the rest of our walking wounded watched on from the sidelines.
The first half started with a dose of adrenaline from the front three of Borini, Watmore and Khazri. Piling on the pressure for the first five minutes of the game, Watmore found Borini but he failed to capitalise with his snap-shot.
But the game changed quickly as Dortmund found their feet with some sharp, accurate passing and domination of ball possession. This would continue throughout the half, with Borussia's new signing Ousmane Dembele giving the Sunderland defence a lot to deal with; a great ball in from the young forward presenting the first real chance of the game, albeit squandered.
Ten minutes in Dembele made a fool of Khazri and Van Aanholt, using pace to break down the left flank and go for another cross which was palmed away by Vito Mannone.
Minutes later it would fall to Khazri, panicking in the defence against some tasty passing play and dropping it to the feet of the opposition, but a composed Mannone handled it with ease.
It was during this series of assaults that Sahin got on to a ball in the 16th minute, cunningly placed at his feet by none other than Jack Rodwell, defensive extraordinaire, after a hashed clearance of Dembele's cross. He put his foot through it and sent it to Mannones right, no fault of Vito's.
For the rest of the game there was a general consensus that it was Dortmund's ball and they were keeping it, with Sunderland having very little possession beyond a brief spell in the 19th minute, again from our forward three that eventually came to nothing, with Khazri putting a tame shot in. He would show his frustration shortly after with a petulant shove on a Dortmund player that gratefully obliged by falling down, earning the Tunisian the first yellow card of the game.
Sunderland switched the play a little bit at the start of the second half, with Josh Robson coming on for Khazri and taking up the right-back spot.
Some brief spells of possession after that coupled with the introduction of young Joel Asoro saw a few pacey, attacking threats slung at the opposition, but it would be generous to say that Sunderland had many chances for the majority of the game.
There was light at the end of the tunnel, however, when a burst of grit and pace saw us earn a free kick from twenty-five yards. Lens curled the ball in from his right foot and the ever-improving Kone bounced a clinical header a foot from the keeper and into the net. Great goal.
Beyond that Borussia Dortmund played an excellent passing game today and didn't really seem too fussed about the occasion, Cattermole did a solid shift today and looked determined but controlled in front of our defence. The youngsters introduced towards the last 10-15 minutes of the second half brought a few glimmers of potential but nothing really took the game away from our German counterparts.
Overall I would say the thing to really take from this game is that the players, most of them, went about with professionalism and I would highlight how easy and relaxed on the ball the academy players seem, Duncan Watmore in particular.
Not a bad day, not a great day, but considering we're thin on the ground and in a little disarray in the back room, it was a hard days work and the lads went at it with as much gusto as they could muster.
Sunderland: Mannone, Van Aanholt, Kaboul, Kone, O'Shea, Cattermole, Rodwell, Lens, Khazri, Watmore, Borini.
Subs: Jordan Pickford, Michael Ledler, Joel Asoro, Tom Robson, Reece Greenwood, George Honeyman, Elliot Embleton, Josh Robson, Lynden Gooch.
Goals: Kone 65'
Borussia Dortmund: Burki - Passlack, Bartra, Sokratis, Schmelzer - Rode, Sahin - Castro, Kagawa, Dembele - Ramos
Subs: Roman Weidenfeller, Jan-Pascal Reckert, Emre Mor, Mario Gotze, Raphael Guerreiro, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andre Schurrle, Christian Pulisic, Mikel Merino, Lukasz Piszczek, Dzenis Burnic, Julian Weigl.
Goals: Sahin 16'
