DORTMUND, Germany — Borussia Dortmund clinched a narrow 2-1 victory over newly promoted St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Friday, providing some relief for the team ahead of their upcoming match against Real Madrid.

The decisive goal came from Serhou Guirassy in the 83rd minute, following an impactful appearance from substitute Jamie Gittens, who dazzled past a defender before delivering a precise cross for Guirassy to head home the winner. This goal arrived just minutes after St. Pauli’s Eric Smith had leveled the score with a powerful strike.

Dortmund had controlled the match from the outset but struggled to convert their possession into clear scoring opportunities. St. Pauli’s goalkeeper, Nikola Vasilj, was particularly impressive, making critical saves to deny Guirassy twice when he seemed poised to score.

The deadlock was broken just before the halftime interval when Ramy Bensebaini scored with a header, connecting with a cross from Pascal Groß in the 43rd minute. Prior to this, St. Pauli had a goal from Morgan Guilavogui annulled by the VAR due to an offside call in the 30th minute.

Dortmund is set to face Madrid in the Champions League next Tuesday, a rematch of last season’s final, where Madrid emerged as winners with a score of 2-0. With this latest win, Dortmund, who faced mounting pressure after a disappointing loss to Union Berlin prior to the international break, now holds a record of four wins in their first seven Bundesliga matches.