Cologne (Germany) (AFP)

After his impressive first-round victory against Augsburg (5-1), Dortmund struggled but was again a boss on Friday night 3-1 in Cologne for his second Bundesliga match, and strengthens his first place.

Cologne opened the score by Dominick Drexler (29th) and has long believed to be able to achieve the feat, facing an uninspired Borussia. But the coach Lucien Favre managed a winning coaching, and Jadon Sancho (70th), Achraf Hakimi (86th) and Paco Alcacer (90 + 4) returned the situation late in the game.

"It was not an easy match, we knew it coming here, but we showed character and our goals speak for us," said Julian Brandt, the German international midfielder at Borussia Dortmund.

Leipzig, second with three points, receives Frankfurt Sunday. Five other teams have three points.

Dortmund's fanatical start is obviously putting pressure on Bayern, who missed out on a first-round draw against Hertha Berlin (2-2), who will have to negotiate a dangerous move to Schalke on Saturday. (18.30).

For this second match of the championship, Dortmund had recovered his goalkeeper Roman Bürki, injured in the shin during the preparation. For the rest, Favre had applied the adage: "we do not change a team that wins".

- Perfume of achievement -

But the winners of Augsburg had a hard time getting into the match. In the first half, Borussia never managed to be dangerous. The only chance, and the only shot, of the "Borussen" was a direct free kick by Marco Reus, superbly deflected by goalkeeper Timo Horn.

And it was Cologne, the promoted, who was much more determined in the game, winning almost 75% of the duels before the break. The Rhines' will was rewarded in the 29th minute: Dominick Drexler, at the back post, took a header from the right with a header.

Back from the locker room, Dortmund was no more inspired, and Cologne, for his first match in the first division at home after his year of purgatory in D2, began to smell the scent of the feat.

But Lucien Favre reacted to the hour of play, making a tactical change and bringing in two players: Julian Brandt, in the position of playmaker, and the Moroccan side Achraf Hakimi, trained at Real Madrid.

Nice shots: Dortmund suddenly showed another face. The English pearl Jadon Sancho equalized (1-1, 70th) a shot in the middle of a forest of players, following a corner. And at the 86th, Brandt opened on the right for Piszczek, who delivered a perfect center on Hakimi's head (2-1).

Paco Alcacer concluded on a counter to the 90th + 4.

© 2019 AFP