SAN FRANCISCO, December 19, (THEWILL) – There was a piece of football history created in the German top flight on Friday night at the Stadion An der Alten Fosterei. Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund’s teenage striker Youssoufa Moukoko became the youngest player to score in the league’s history.
Although Dortmund lost as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Union Berlin where they conceded goals from two brilliant set-pieces, the 16-year-old had his name on the scoresheet on the hour mark.
He displayed a potent attacker’s instinct when he latched on to a Marco Reus through ball and drilled the ball home to break the previous record set by Florian Wirtz, who scored for Bayer Leverkusen against Bayern Munich when he was 17 years and 34 days in May this year.
The visitors, who fired Lucien Favre, their manager, last week after an embarrassing 5-1 loss to newly-promoted VfB Stuttgart and put the management of the team under assistant coach Edin Terzic, were evidently lacklustre for the most part of the tie. Their slumping to a fifth defeat of the season was proof enough.
The Cameroon-born Moukoko, who has represented Germany at youth level, was a constant threat throughout. He almost put the visitors ahead on the stroke of half-time from an earlier Reus pass but was denied by the upright.
Union Berlin began the second half by taking the lead in the 57th minute. Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi ghosted in at the far post to cleverly head home Grischa Proemel’s flick-on from a corner. In the 78th minute, another header by Marvin Friedrich from another set-piece restored the lead after Moukoko had levelled the scores in the 60th minute.
Dortmund stay rooted in fourth place on 22 points from 13 games, with Union Berlinare hot on their heels, a point behind in fifth.
At the top, Bayer Leverkusen seat on 28 points. Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig keep the chase a point behind them before the weekend slate of games.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
