Alcacer on target on Dortmund debut

Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
(Diallo 36', Wolf 72', Alcacer 88' — Haller 68')

Despite a fine final 20 minutes including a debut goal for Paco Alcacer and an exceptional performance off the bench from Jadon Sancho, 3-1 flattered the hosts. So Dortmund coach Lucien Favre didn't tick quite as many boxes on Friday night as the scoreline might suggest. The first half had been a tense and turgid affair, punctuated by a suitably scrappy goal from a corner. Soon after Frankfurt's equalizer, Dortmund wobbled defensively and almost conceded a second in quick succession. Fortunately for BVB, Sancho's exquisite assist for Marius Wolf — scoring against his old club — settled the nerves and reignited the atmosphere in the packed stadium. The young Englishman was released down the right, turned two defenders inside out, and then had the presence of mind to pick out Wolf arriving late at the far post, completely unmarked. Having regained the lead, Dortmund never looked back. 

As it happened:

FULL TIME!

88' GOAL! Dortmund 3-1 Frankfurt (Alcacer). 
A Dortmund short corner breaks down but the ball falls invitingly for Paco Alcacer on his left peg. He tries his luck, and finds the far corner, albeit thanks to a deflection off Sebastian Haller. 

85' Frankfurt win their first corner of the night. Better late than never. 

76' By the by, Dortmund used their third sub, bringing on Axel Witsel, after conceding the equalizer a few minutes ago. 

72' GOAL! Dortmund 2-1 Frankfurt (Wolf). 
That's an assist and a half for Jadon Sancho! He's released down the right, cuts back and beats two defenders in the process, then spots Wolf arriving late at the back post and picks him out. Pure quality, a very tidy, clinical finish was a let-down when compared to the build-up!

68' GOAL! Dortmund 1-1 Frankfurt (Haller).
Piszczek concedes possession in his own half and Frankfurt pounce. The ball eventually fell for da Costa on the right flank, his cross found Haller, who was ice-cold in the middle. He's been involved in every single Frankfurt goal this season.

67' Paco Alcacer is coming on up top for BVB; Maximilian Philipp makes way.

65' De Guzman fires one over the bar after a very shaky passage of play for Dortmund. Kept half-clearing the ball and setting Frankfurt's next attempted attack in motion. 

63' Double substitution for Frankfurt. Fabian off for Jovic, Fernandes makes way for de Guzman.

58' Sub Dortmund: Sancho is coming on for Bruun Larsen. 

55' Jadon Sancho's warming up on the touchline for BVB. Bruun Larsen is down holding his groin. 

46' We're off again, here's to a better second half! No subs at the break.

HT analysis: It's not been one for the ages so far. Both sides have been trying to move the ball forward, but largely in vain. The midfield's extremely congested. Frankfurt looked particularly shaky in the opening 10 minutes but did eventually establish a foothold in the game. And then they conceded from a set piece to undo what could have been a solid first half on the road in Dortmund.

Half time.

36' GOAL! Dortmund 1-0 Frankfurt (Diallo). 
Dortmund open the scoring from a corner, with a suitably ugly goal to match the game so far. Diallo's first, headed attempt is saved by Trapp, his second follow-up is again saved by Trapp, but third time's a charm. His final effort ends up in the back of the net, although Gacinovic had the final touch.

32' There's more space in some poultry battery farms than there is in the middle of the park tonight. Frankfurt, in particular, are really packing the center of the pitch. Nobody seems to have any time on the ball.

27' It's been rather quiet in the first half of the first half. A decent chance at either end, Dortmund have had more of the ball, and yet it's a very modest one shot each after 26 minutes of football. So, on the bright side, the only way is up?

18' Gacinovic clips Schmelzer's heels and gets a talking-to from the ref, but no card.

6' Filip Kostic with the first serious shot of the night, fed by a lovely diagonal through ball from Gacinovic that completely wiped Lukasz Piszczek out of contention. Kostic's driven shot was meat and drink for Roman Bürki though. 

3' Nasty early knock for Marcel Schmelzer. The Dortmund left-back is playing his 350th game in all competitions for the club tonight.

Kick off!

— Jacob Bruun Larsen, surprise starter tonight for BVB, is coming off the back of a four-goal game in a friendly against VfL Osnabrück during the international break. He netted all his goals before half time.

— Just a few minutes to go until the game begins. Bavarian Benjamin Cortus will be in charge of tonight's match. Meanwhile, "You'll Never Walk Alone" rings around the Signal-Iduna Park.

— Some surprises in the Dortmund XI as well. Jacob Bruun Larsen gets a start in attacking midfield, Maximilian Philipp looks like he's starting up top, while Delaney and Dahoud will marshal the midfield. And Dortmund's bench is notably strong, with Axel Witsel, Mario Götze Paco Alcacer and Jadon Sancho all riding the pine. 

— Time for the starting line-ups, with an hour to go until kick-off. Sebastian Haller leads the line for Frankfurt, with Mijat Gacinovic, Filip Kostic and Marco Fabian behind him. 

— Historical stats also don't provide too many clues on form. Dortmund have won their last seven at home against Frankfurt, but the Eagles haven't lost in 11 Friday evening Bundesliga matches. 

— Dortmund only drew 0-0 at Hannover last weekend, while Frankfurt lost at home to Bremen. So both clubs have points to prove. 

— Welcome to DW's live coverage of the Friday evening Bundesliga fixture. Matchday 3 kicks off with the German Cup holders visiting arguably the toughest challengers to Bayern Munich this season.