Giovanni Reyna was given an early birthday present on Saturday when he was handed the ball to take a penalty for Borussia Dortmund during the team’s 3-0 victory vs. Bochum.
Reyna isn’t Dortmund’s usual penalty taker, but the American teenager — who turns 20 on Nov. 3 — confidently stepped up and scored from the spot in the 12th minute to give his side a 2-0 lead.
The goal was his eighth Bundesliga goal and his 12th in all competitions for Dortmund.
Prior to the penalty Donyell Malen was tackled in the box after a clever spin.
Gio Reyna Penalty vs. Bochum
Saturday’s game had so many talking points that it’s difficult to decide what to talk about next.
Gio was on the scoresheet, but it was 17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko who was the star of the game with two brilliant goals. The Dortmund phenom scored eight minutes into the game with a bullet shot that hit the crossbar on its way in and then a perfect chipped goal right before halftime.
17-year-old Youssoufa Moukoko with a beauty pic.twitter.com/LhoYRrRtRD
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 5, 2022
MOUKOKO WITH THE LONG DISTANCE CHIP ☄️ pic.twitter.com/ct8btpFfbM
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 5, 2022
Another big story from Saturday’s game was the Dortmund fans unveiling a massive banner imploring soccer fans to boycott the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. Other Bundesliga fanbases did similar protests.
Dortmund fans today…
“BOYCOTT QATAR 2022" pic.twitter.com/GfuaQhbdXn— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) November 5, 2022
"15,000 dead for 5,760 minutes of football! Shame on you!"
"Boycott Qatar"Fans across the Bundesliga this weekend sent a clear message about the #QatarWorldCup2022. pic.twitter.com/SWID8DAqRM
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) November 5, 2022
To finish on a light-hearted note, enjoy watching one of Bochum’s training staff members accidentally kick his own player in the head.
A series of unfortunate events pic.twitter.com/HqdH38zaHT
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 5, 2022
