Borussia Dortmund began their competitive season with a 1-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Franz Beckenbauer Supercup at Signal Iduna Park, a result that sets a difficult tone before the Bundesliga gets underway. Bayern led 2-0 at half-time through Nathaniel Brown and Michael Olise, and although Fabio Silva pulled one back in the second half, the equaliser never came. Maximilian Beier missed a clear chance in stoppage time, and Ramy Bensebaini was sent off for a foul on Bayern substitute Ismael Saibari, leaving Dortmund short-handed at the finish.

The night carried extra heat off the pitch. Coach Niko Kovac accused Bayern assistant Aaron Danks of insulting him during a touchline confrontation in the first half, telling Sky that Danks "should apologise." The incident added friction to what was already a difficult evening for the club.

There were positives, however. New signing Giannis Konstantelias came off the bench and made an immediate impression, driving at Bayern's defence and setting up the consolation goal. Fellow new arrival Joane Gadou started at right centre-back, continuing his promising pre-season run. Nico Schlotterbeck remains sidelined with an ankle ligament injury sustained at the World Cup, with his return expected around mid-September.

Off the pitch, the club revealed a net loss of 21.7 million euros for the last financial year, driven largely by early Champions League elimination. Transfer activity continues, with Hector Fort of Barcelona close to joining and the future of Fabio Silva uncertain amid reported interest from Real Betis. Dortmund now turn their attention to next Saturday's Bundesliga opener against Hamburger SV at home.