Gennaro Gattuso’s Valencia Overpower German Outfit Borussia Dortmund in Preseason Friendly in Austria

Gennaro Gattuso’s Valencia Overpower German Outfit Borussia Dortmund in Preseason Friendly in Austria

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:07 PM
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  • Gonçalo Guedes scored twice and Marcos André grabbed the other goal as Valencia beat Borussia Dortmund
  • Borussia Dortmund were eager to prove that they have the firepower to win games after Erling Haaland left
  • Valencia picked up a comfortable victory over Borussia Dortmund under their new coach, Gennaro Gattuso

Borussia Dortmund and Valencia CF gave their respective fans a taste of what’s to come when they contested a pre-season friendly at the Cashpoint Arena in Austria.

The German side were eager to prove they are still a force to be reckoned with without Erling Haaland while the Spanish team were eager to impress their new coach, Gennaro Gattuso.

Gennaro Gattuso, Valencia, Overpower, Germany, Borussia Dortmund, Preseason Friendly, Austria, Soccer, Sport, World
Valencia overcame Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season-friendly game contested in Austria. Image: Alexander Hassenstein
Source: Getty Images

It was Dortmund who had the better chances in the first half, going closer on more occasions, but it was Valencia that took a lead into the break.

Marco Reus, Raphaël Guerreiro and Thorgan Hazard missed a series of chances just after the 20th minute, while Jude Bellingham had a header saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili in the Valencia goal.

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With time ticking closer to halftime, Valencia broke the deadlock with a little bit of luck. Samu Castillejo worked his magic on the right edge of the box and fed a ball into the path of an onrushing Gonçalo Guedes. Guedes took a shot that deflected off a Dortmund defender and easily beat Gregor Kobel in goal.

At the break, the German side had eight shots with five on target while Valencia had three shots with two on target.

Dortmund were level not long after the second half started. Jamie Bynoe-Gittens was brought down in the box by Thierry Correia and Reus stepped up to calmly put away the penalty.

Valencia restored their lead less than 10 minutes later. Carlos Soler capitalised on a mix-up at the back and quickly toe-poked the ball past Kobel and into the path of Marcos André who scored into an empty net.

Guedes then made it three just minutes later when he smashed home a beautiful shot from the edge of the box.

Dortmund tried to put together good spells as the second half wore on, but the German side never really looked threatening. Valencia hung on for the win, giving Gattuso a lot to be happy with in the process.

Julian Brandt dismisses media reports linking him with an exit from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt insists that he isn’t going anywhere.

Rumours have surfaced in recent days that the midfielder is no longer considered an important part of the squad for the 2022/23 season.

As reported by Bulinews, Brandt has shot down the rumours, saying that he’s never had a conversation where he was told that he was free to leave.

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Borussia Dortmund believes they can upstage Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga title this term even before the start of the 2022/23 football season begins in Germany.

BVB finished as runners-up to the Bavarians last season but have made some exciting changes to their squad ahead of the new season, which has many believing their 10-year wait for the Bundesliga title is about to end.

According to the official website of the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund could be crowned German league champions this term because of these key 5 steps the club has taken in the summer.

Authors
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Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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