Borussia Dortmund concluded their 2026 pre-season tour of Japan with a 1-0 victory over FC Tokyo
Borussia Dortmund wrapped up their 2026 pre-season tour of Japan with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over FC Tokyo, giving Niko Kovač’s side a positive finish after last week’s disappointing defeat to Cerezo Osaka.
The Bundesliga giants controlled possession from the opening whistle, enjoying more than 75 percent of the ball during the early stages. However, Dortmund struggled to convert that dominance into clear-cut chances, with Fábio Silva forcing goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu into one of the few saves of the first quarter.
Dortmund suffered an early setback when midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka was forced off with a suspected knee injury. Before his exit, Maxi Beier also came close to breaking the deadlock with a dangerous cross-shot that required another intervention from Kim.
Severe weather disrupted the contest as heavy rain turned into monsoon-like conditions, forcing officials to suspend play for around 15 minutes. After the restart, FC Tokyo grew into the game and tested Dortmund from distance, but the teams headed into halftime level after a late Hashimoto header drifted wide.
Leaving Tokyo with the W ✅ pic.twitter.com/jCkwuJA2BJ
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 1, 2026
Kovač resisted making changes at the break, and his decision paid off less than 10 minutes into the second half. Fábio Silva found space inside the penalty area before producing a composed finish into the far corner to score what proved to be the match-winning goal.
With the lead secured, Dortmund boss Kovač rotated his squad heavily, introducing eight substitutions during the final half hour. One of those to impress was Jobe Bellingham, who continued his encouraging pre-season by testing the goalkeeper with another effort on target.
FC Tokyo pushed for an equaliser late in the game, but goalkeeper Patrick Drewes denied Teruhito Nakagawa after a flowing attacking move. Dortmund nearly doubled their advantage when Luca Reggiani struck the base of the post, while the hosts also saw a late penalty appeal waved away.
The victory provides Dortmund with valuable momentum ahead of a much tougher pre-season challenge. Kovač’s side now return to Europe, where they will face Premier League champions Arsenal in London next weekend as preparations for the 2026/27 campaign continue.
