At the end of the thrilling game, his teammates knew who they had to thank. One Dortmund professional after another hugged match winner Serhou Guirassy after the arduous 4:2 (1:2) against VfL Bochum or gave him an appreciative pat on the shoulder.
His first brace in the black and yellow jersey earned the newcomer a lot of praise and saved BVB from scoring their next big goal within a few days. “He’s a winner,” enthused goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. And BVB captain Emre Can also expressed his great appreciation in a few words: “Serhou is great.”
Without the striker, who was signed for 18 million euros in the summer, BVB would hardly have been spared further unpleasant headlines. When the Sahin team fell behind 2-0 in the small Revierderby against Bochum just a few days after the desolate performance in Stuttgart (1:5) in the 21st minute, discontent spread in the stands.
Worthwhile investment
To the delight of coach Nuri Sahin, Guirassy proved to be a savior in an emergency. With two goals (44th/75th minute) and a penalty, which Can safely converted (61st), he played a key role in the successful comeback. «We are all very happy that he is with us. I’m not only happy with the way he scores the goals, but also with the way he performs,” said Sahin enthusiastically about the former Stuttgart player’s great ambition and team service.
Even the week-long break at the start of the season caused by a knee injury didn’t put the Guinea international out of step. With four goals in his first four competitive games, he has so far proven to be a worthwhile investment in his new place of work. “He gives us exactly what we hoped for from him. He is a very important player for us – and he will get even better,” announced BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl.
Bochum close to 3-0
However, it seemed exaggerated that goalkeeper Kobel, in his initial joy at his team’s celebrated comeback, said it had done an “outstanding job”. Finally, the previously winless district neighbor from Bochum was even close to making it 3-0 after goals from Matus Bero (16th) and Dani de Wit (21st) when attacker Myron Boadu (33rd) ran towards the opponent’s goal alone but missed . “That could have been the killer moment,” admitted Sahin.
Even the otherwise reliable Kobel adapted to his team’s previously mixed level and made a mistake at 0-2 when he played the ball at de Wit’s feet. But his coach refrained from criticizing: “Greg has saved us many games. If anyone here has credit, it’s him.”
Respect for Celtic
A similar phase of weakness could have more far-reaching consequences for BVB on Tuesday (9 p.m.) in the second Champions League game of the new season against Celtic Glasgow. After all, at the start of the newly structured competition two weeks ago, the Scots played big in a 5-1 home win against Bratislava and scored even more goals than BVB in the 3-0 win in Bruges. “You shouldn’t underestimate this opponent,” warned defender Waldemar Anton, “but if we bring our basics onto the pitch, it will be a very, very good game.”
