Sabah FA 2-3 Borussia Dortmund ended as a closely contested affair in which the visitors' cutting edge in front of goal proved decisive. Serhou Guirassy scored twice for Borussia Dortmund, while Aden McCarthy struck for Sabah FA in a match that remained in the balance until the closing stages.
The scoring opened on 10 minutes when Serhou Guirassy found the net for Borussia Dortmund, giving his side an early advantage. Sabah FA responded on 39 minutes through Aden McCarthy, whose goal levelled the contest and sent the teams into the interval on equal terms. The decisive moment of the second period arrived on 53 minutes, when Guirassy scored his second of the game to restore Borussia Dortmund's lead. Sabah FA pushed for a way back into the match thereafter, but the visitors held their advantage through the closing half-hour.
Discipline shaped the contest as much as the goals. Sabah FA collected four yellow cards: Steve Solvet was booked on 22 minutes, Ivan Lepinjica on 49 minutes, Aden McCarthy on 57 minutes and Akim Zedadka on 89 minutes. No red cards were issued and no penalties were awarded, so both sides finished the match with eleven players.
Both benches were active after the hour mark. Sabah FA made a double change on 65 minutes, introducing Du Queiroz and Kaheem Parris, and followed with a further double substitution on 81 minutes as Umarali Rakhmonaliev and Joy Lance Mickels came on. Borussia Dortmund rotated heavily: Carney Chukwuemeka and Felix Nmecha entered on 71 minutes, Ramy Bensebaini followed on 72 minutes, Daniel Svensson on 77 minutes and Fábio Silva on 90+1 minutes. The Sabah FA vs Borussia Dortmund lineups and the timing of those substitutions were central to how the final half-hour unfolded, with fresh legs on both sides influencing the tempo and the space available in midfield.
The impact of the events was clear in the outcome. Guirassy's early goal forced Sabah FA to chase the game, and McCarthy's equaliser on the stroke of half-time briefly changed the momentum. Guirassy's second on 53 minutes, however, restored Borussia Dortmund's control at the moment Sabah FA were building pressure. The four bookings against Sabah FA reflected the physical demands of containing their opponents, while the substitutions on both sides altered the rhythm of the closing stages. In the end, the difference was Guirassy's finishing: two goals from the same player decided a match in which Sabah FA matched their opponents for long spells but could not find a second equaliser.
