Bundesliga 2019/20: Plucky Borussia Dortmund survive FC Köln scare
Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund survived a huge scare at FC Köln before scoring three goals in the final 20 minutes to steal a nervy win and remain at the top of the table.
Following their convincing 5-1 win over Augsburg at home last week, Dortmund made an unusually slow start at the Rhein Energy Stadion in their first away game of the season, falling behind at the half-hour mark when Dominick Drexler opened the scoring for the home side.
Die Schwarzgelben heaved a huge sigh of relief at not going behind by two goals when Rafael Czichos found the back of the net on the hour mark, only for the Köln centre-back's effort to be ruled out for offside.
For large periods of the game, Roman Burki was the busier of the two keepers as the home side strode forward with purpose, but inspired Dortmund defending thwarted their efforts.
Against the run of play, young Englishman Jadon Sancho scored off a low left-footed effort past a posse of Köln players, to restore parity for Dortmund. A stunned Köln failed to respond in kind and fell behind for the first time in the game when Achraf Hakimi rose above two defenders to head Dortmund into the lead four minutes from time.
As the clock ran down, Köln committed more men forward to snatch a share of the spoils. Off one such attack from the home side deep into injury time, Dortmund retrieved the ball from their own box and Sancho launched a blistering counterattack down the right which was finished off by Paco Alcacer, giving the visitors a 3-1 lead and sealing the victory.
Meanwhile, defending champions Bayern Munich, away at Schalke, will hope to get their first win on the board to stay within two points of early pacesetters Dortmund.