Bundesliga: Moukoko restores Borussia Dortmund smiles

The expression on Youssoufa Moukoko’s face as he leapt into Edin Terzic's arms, eyes closed and with a beaming smile, was one of unadulterated, youthful joy. 

And understandably so. Aged just 18 years and 139 days, not only had he just become the youngest ever player to reach a half-century of Bundesliga appearances; he had also just scored Borussia Dortmund’s winner against Union Berlin, which just about kept his team in the title race. 

"Strikers are there to score goals," grinned Moukoko at fulltime. It was a footballing self-evidence that perhaps only a teenager could have pointed out. Yet the predatory nature of his goal, latching onto a loose back-pass and calmly rounding the goalkeeper, revealed a maturity and tactical awareness beyond his tender years.  

"The coach told me before the game that, when I come on, I could decide the game," he continued. "So, of course I watched, and I gambled. That’s a striker's instinct." 

Terzic: 'He’s better when he plays with a smile'

But Moukoko had started the afternoon in a very different mood after learning that he wouldn’t be in the starting XI. 

"He cut a very disappointed and frustrated figure," revealed Terzic, who also marked his 50th Bundesliga match in charge on Saturday. 

"I took him aside and told him that he’s a great striker but that he’s even better when he plays with a smile on his face, rather than coming on in an angry and bitter mood. We knew that today’s game could stay tight for a long time, but that Youssoufa had the quality to make the difference. But the chance of that happening is greater when he smiles. 

"Youssoufa is a very young player who was showered with praise at every stage of the youth system, but now he’s in the senior team and not everything always works as he wants."

Indeed, Saturday’s record was far from Moukoko’s first. In November 2020, just one day after his 16th birthday, he became the youngest player in Bundesliga history when he came on as substitute for Erling Haaland. Two weeks later, he became the youngest ever player to appear in the Champions League. 

There will be more records to come, but Terzic is continuing to take a cautiously paternal approach to his starlet. "He is highly talented and has a super attitude," he said. "But his development is far from complete, so we’ll keep supporting him."

Donyell Malen and Karim Adeyemi finding form 

After starting 2023 with ten straight wins in all competitions, Dortmund went into Saturday’s game having won just one of their last five, a dip in form which saw them surrender first place in the Bundesliga to Bayern Munich and exit both the Champions League and the German Cup. 

If the Champions League defeat to Premier League side Chelsea was forgivable, the performances away at Bayern and RB Leipzig over the last week certainly weren’t, and failure to beat Union at home would have put the final nail in the coffin containing Dortmund’s title hopes. 

"We wanted to make amends after our performances in Munich and Leipzig," said Terzic, and his team achieved that in the first half, deservedly leading at halftime thanks to Donyell Malen’s header. 

After a very slow start in Dortmund, the Dutchman is gradually finding form. He capped an energetic cameo in Munich with a consolation goal and started the move which led to his opener against Union with a neat turn into space. From there, the ball came to Raphael Guerreiro via Jude Bellingham and Julian Brandt, and the Portuguese fullback found Malen in the six-yard-box. 

With Malen on the left and Karim Adeyemi a constant source of trickery on the right, Dortmund had the attacking options they had sorely missed in Munich and Leipzig, even if Adeyemi will likely be given a telling off after picking up a booking for diving in the box. 

But they were punished for not putting the game to bed when Union equalized in the simplest of fashions: Robin Knoche hit a long ball forward, Kevin Behrens outjumped Niklas Süle to win the header, Sheraldo Becker returned the ball to Behrens and the 32-year-old slotted home. 

With Bayern simultaneously beating Freiburg, Dortmund could have found themselves four points adrift. But Moukoko restored the lead with Dortmund's league-high 12th goal from the bench this season. And, at the same time, he restored the smiles. 

Edited by: Matt Pearson