Dynamo Dresden vs Energie Cottbus

Cottbus emerged sharper after the restart and took the lead in the 53rd minute from a corner. Hannemann's initial effort struck the post, but Dominik Pelivan was first to the rebound, driving the ball home with his left foot from close range.

Dynamo pushed for an equaliser and created their best chances in the final half-hour. Lotka made a sharp save in the 59th minute, and Jannis Zaydan cleared a header off the line in the 65th minute to preserve the lead.

Butler could have put the game beyond doubt in the 88th minute after a flowing Cottbus move, but Schreiber saved from close range. The 2-1 scoreline held.

Dominik Pelivan (Energie Cottbus) — The midfielder's poacher's instinct from the corner rebound proved decisive. He was a steady presence in the centre of the park throughout.

Lukas Michelbrink (Energie Cottbus) — Scored the equaliser just two minutes after Dresden's opener, instantly shifting momentum back to the visitors.

Marcel Lotka (Energie Cottbus) — Made several important saves, notably in the 59th minute, and commanded his area well on a day when Cottbus needed their goalkeeper to stand tall.

Vincent Vermeij (Dynamo Dresden) — Took his goal well from 16 metres and was Dynamo's most dangerous attacking outlet.

Player of the Match: Dominik Pelivan (Energie Cottbus)

The match was played in two halves typical of a club friendly — both sides were still building match sharpness. Cottbus's quick response to Vermeij's opener (two minutes) was the decisive spell. Energie had the better of the chances across the 90 minutes, with Butler (2'), Hannemann (40', 53' post) and the late Butler chance all representing clear openings. Dynamo's best spells came just after their goal and in the final 20 minutes, but Lotka and Zaydan's interventions kept them at bay.

This was the first of two 90-minute matches that made up the XXL double-header between the two 2. Bundesliga rivals. Dynamo Dresden won the second match 2-1, meaning each side claimed one victory. For Energie Cottbus, the win was their first pre-season friendly victory over Dynamo this summer, and it came despite significant injury absences — new signings Ryan Malone and Fousseny Doumbia (both centre-backs) were unavailable, and captain Axel Borgmann has yet to feature in a pre-season match.

Tolcay Cigerci captained Cottbus and made his first pre-season appearance after recovering from a foot injury that had lingered from the 2025/26 campaign.

Dynamo, who have made 12 new signings this summer, suffered their first pre-season defeat. Both teams have one more friendly before the 2. Bundesliga season begins on 9 August. Dynamo host Union Berlin next Saturday (26 July, 14:00), while Cottbus face Werder Bremen (26 July, 15:00).

A deserved win for Cottbus, who were sharper from the first whistle and responded superbly to falling behind. The quick equaliser from Michelbrink and Pelivan's predatory finish from the corner were the difference. Dynamo's rotation-heavy XI created chances but lacked the cutting edge to recover from going 2-1 down. Both sides will take useful fitness minutes from the workout.