Malen brace lights up packed Jalan Besar Stadium as Dortmund beat Lion City Sailors 7-2
While his Dutch teammates are at the World Cup in Qatar, forward Donyell Malen bagged a brace to help his club Borussia Dortmund cruise to a 7-2 friendly win over local side Lion City Sailors in Singapore on Thursday.
The 23-year-old, who missed Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal’s 26-man squad, played a starring role as the German club showed their class in their win over the 2021 Singapore Premier League champions at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
The 6,000-capacity venue, which was packed to the rafters with fans clad in blue and yellow T-shirts, roared to life for about two hours as both sides served up a nine-goal feast.
Dortmund also scored through strikes by substitutes Samuel Bamba (two), Julian Rijkhoff, Justin Njinmah and an own goal, while Gabriel Quak and Faris Ramli replied for the Sailors.
Although fan favourites Marco Reus and Mats Hummels, who was spotted signing autographs before kick-off, did not make the match-day squad, Dortmund dominated from the opening whistle with the likes of Malen, Emre Can and Nico Schulz starring.
Sailors goalkeeper Adib Nur Hakim, who was making his debut start, was called into action to deny efforts from Ole Pohlmann and Felix Passlack early on.
Setting up in a 3-5-2 formation, the Sailors initially held their own against the highly fancied Germans but crumbled after the half-hour mark with two goals in quick succession.
Sailors defender Amirul Adli first diverted a cross into his own net, before Malen doubled Dortmund’s advantage with a deft toe-poke.
Right before half-time, Malen bagged his second of the night via a cut-back from former Manchester City academy graduate Jayden Braaf.
Substitute Bamba added a fourth for Dortmund with a far-post header in the 66th minute, but the crowd erupted only when Quak reduced the deficit for the Sailors just minutes later.
The 32-year-old forward, who has been omitted from Singapore’s provisional squad for the Asean Football Federation Championship, fired a fierce left-footed strike which was too powerful for Dortmund custodian Alexander Meyer to keep out.
Bamba then completed his brace before turning provider for 17-year-old Rijkhoff to notch Dortmund’s sixth goal of the night.
Substitute Njinmah made it seven, before Sailors winger Ramli curled in a spectacular effort in stoppage time, much to the delight of the home fans.
Dortmund, who are in Singapore as part of their Asia Tour, will visit Malaysia and Vietnam next week.
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