Guirassy brace secures the win

Borussia Dortmund beat FK Sabah 2-1 in Baku on Tuesday, 20 October, ending a run of poor results in the Champions League. Coach Niko Kovac had seen his side lose 1-0 at Bodø/Glimt the previous week and then draw 0-0 against Union Berlin, and he changed four positions in the starting lineup, with Ramy Bensebaini coming in for the 19-year-old Joane Gadou. Serhou Guirassy scored both goals, the first in the 10th minute from a rebound after a shot by Felix Nmecha, and the second in the 53rd minute. The win is Dortmund's first away win in the competition in almost a year, and it lifts them to six points from three group matches. Their previous international win came on 21 October of last year, a 4-2 victory at FC Copenhagen, and the side had also drawn 2-2 with Werder Bremen in its last home outing before this trip. Around 45,000 spectators watched at the Olympic Stadium, where Sabah, a club founded only in 2017, caused the Germans far more trouble than they had expected.

Sabah strike back and Dortmund finish the job

Sabah equalised in the 39th minute when Aden McCarthy headed in a free kick from Tymoteusz Puchacz, a former Bundesliga player, from very close range. Joy-Lance Mickels had also believed he had made it 1-1 after a Parris assist, but his goal was disallowed for offside even though the stadium DJ had already started the goal music. Joey Veerman struck a free kick from 18 metres that goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov saved, and Gregor Kobel had to pick the ball out of his net once during the match. Veerman, a 27-year-old Dutch international, started and played the full 90 minutes, and in the 53rd minute he delivered the cross that Guirassy finished from close range. Dortmund then survived several late chances for Sabah to keep the win.

Fenerbahçe draw with Slavia Prague, Aké injured

In Istanbul, Fenerbahçe and Slavia Prague drew 2-2 after Oguz Aydin (4th minute) and Mason Greenwood (11th minute) gave the hosts a 2-0 lead. Lukas Provod pulled one back in the 15th minute, and according to NOS a defensive blunder by Matteo Guendouzi led to that goal. The hosts were still in control until late on, before Pavel Kacor equalised in the 90th minute. Nathan Aké, who plays for the Dutch national team, went off injured after 21 minutes with groin complaints, according to NOS, and he sat down on the grass and could not continue. It was not yet clear what exactly was wrong with him.