Borussia Dortmund fell 2-1 to Fortuna Düsseldorf in a pre-season friendly on Friday, surrendering a first-half lead before 23,300 spectators at the Düsseldorf Arena.
Mathis Albert opened the scoring for Dortmund in the 20th minute, finishing off a setup by goalkeeper Alexander Meyer to give the Bundesliga side a 1-0 halftime advantage. Head coach Niko Kovač made a full squad change at the break, fielding an entirely new lineup for the second half. Düsseldorf responded quickly, with Fabian Schleusener equalizing in the 50th minute and Anas Slimani striking the winner in the 79th.
Fortuna Düsseldorf, now competing in the third tier, opens its 3. Liga campaign at Waldhof Mannheim on Aug. 7. Borussia Dortmund is preparing for a pre-season tour of Japan.