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30 August 2026

Borussia Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac has thrown his support behind youngster Samuele Inacio after the 18-year-old went through a tough evening in Saturday’s 2-0 Bundesliga win over Hamburger SV. Inacio came on in the 74th minute, but his outing lasted only about 200 seconds before referee Felix Zwayer showed him a straight red card for a reckless sliding tackle on Albert Grønbaek.

The sending-off left Dortmund a man short for the final stages of a game they had otherwise controlled with comfort. The young forward also received the lowest mark of the night in the player ratings for the match.

Kovac, however, refused to turn the error into a wider criticism of one of Dortmund’s brightest young talents. The Dortmund coach also had more worrying news to share in the post-match press conference, confirming that the potentially serious injury update concerning goalscorer Giannis Konstantelias appeared to be accurate.

“Of course, he didn’t do the team any favours,” Kovac told Sky Germany. “He was late. He didn’t need to go to ground there, and then he catches him. You can justify the decision and give the red card.”

Inacio’s frustration continued after he left the pitch, with the teenager throwing a water bottle several times in the tunnel. Kovac was more focused on what happened after the final whistle.

“I had just gone into the dressing room and the boy was sitting there crying,” Kovac continued. “It was his first red card as a Bundesliga professional, and it happened here in this stadium.”

The Dortmund manager stressed that painful moments like this are part of a young footballer’s development.

“Life goes on,” Kovac concluded. “He didn’t do it intentionally and he has to learn from it. Ultimately, that’s also what we want: the boy is emotional.”

“I naturally spoke with him,” Kovac added at the post-match press conference. “That’s normal for someone who was on the pitch for such a short time. One can fully understand that an Italian was very emotional, was quite sad and cried.

“I comforted him and encouraged him,” Kovac continued. “That’s part of football. He didn’t do it intentionally, but will learn and grow from it. He’ll certainly deal with it differently in future.”

Dortmund defender Waldemar Anton also offered his backing to his young teammate.

“He’s a young player who is very motivated,” Anton said in the mixed zone. “Getting a red card like that is incredibly bitter and, of course, brutally frustrating. But he has enormous qualities.”