Town’s pre-season friendly at Fortuna Düsseldorf ended in an entertaining 4-3 victory to the hosts. Fortuna went in front via a dubious Michael Liendl penalty before Freddie Sears equalised for Town. Joel Pohjanpalo restored the German side’s lead prior to the break, but goals from Brett Pitman and Ainsley Maitland-Niles briefly put the Blues in front before Christian Strohdiek and Sercan Sararer sealed Fortuna’s win.
Town boss Mick McCarthy started a team which was a mixture of regular first-teamers, fringe players and youngsters against a Fortuna Dusseldorf XI not far away from the XI which starts their Bundesliga 2 season next week against Union Berlin.
Earlier, representatives of the 600 travelling Blues, who helped make up a 5,700 sell-out crowd, won a fans’ match 7-4, before teams made up of Fortuna legends and supporters - including four of the Town fans - played a game on the main pitch.
Despite the oppressive heat, the match proper started energetically, Fortuna keeper Lars Unnarstall saving an early looping effort from Town skipper Luke Chambers.
At the other end, Bartosz Bialkowski blocked from close range, first from Sararer and then from Pohjanpalo.
Fortuna might have gone in front in the 11th minute when Liendl sent over a deep cross from the left but Didier Ya Konan tripped over his own feet as he sought to bring the ball down when in the clear. A minute later Sararer struck a low effort wide.
Myles Kenlock did well to clear from inside the six-yard area in the 14th minute after Lukas Schmitz had diverted a cross from the left towards goal.
The home side, much further through pre-season, were unsurprisingly looking the stronger side and on 17 Pohjanpalo beat Kenlock and sent over a low cross which was stabbed behind ahead of Sararer. From the corner, Karim Haggui headed powerfully just over.
Fortuna ought to have taken the lead on 20 when Ya Konan was again sent through on goal but Bialkowski was ought quickly to block.
The German team continued to control the game and on 28 Mathias Bolly shot over from the edge of the box.
Just before the half hour, Ya Konan turned Schmitz’s cross from the left past Bialkowski, but having strayed offside.
In the 33rd minute Fortuna were awarded a very generous penalty when Schmitz’s cross struck Kyle Hammond’s arm. Liendl sent Bialkowski the wrong way from the spot.
The home side could have added to their lead immediately but Bialkowski saved from Schmitz and almost immediately, the Blues levelled.
Freddie Sears chased an Adam McDonnell ball forward to the right. Unnarstall rather needlessly came well off his line and the ex-West Ham man delicately chipped into the net from the edge of the box.
Fortuna should have restored their lead within seconds when the profligate Ya Konan was found eight yards out but Bialkowski again thwarted the Ivorian. On 40, Town’s Polish keeper once more saved from Ya Konan, this time pushing his long distance effort wide down to his right.
As the half moved into injury time, Fortuna retook the lead when Pohjanpalo swept home Kevin Akpogma’s low cross from the right.
Fortuna - who looked like a team much further through pre-season throughout - deserved their lead at the break and might have been further ahead but for Bialkowski’s saves and Ya Konan’s failure to take his opportunities.
Town’s one significant chance - or perhaps half-chance - was Sears’s opportunity which he took deftly.
As at Shelbourne last week, the Blues switched their entire XI for the second half, while Fortuna continued with the line-up which started, aside from Bolly, who is returning from a long-term injury.
On 57 Schmitz curled a low shot wide with the visitors creating fewer chances since the break.
Four minutes later, the Blues got back on terms when, after good work from Josh Emmanuel and Ryan Fraser on the right, Pitman seized on the loose ball after his initial effort had been blocked, tricked his way beyond the last Fortuna defender before delicately lifting it over Unnerstall to claim his third goal in two pre-season games.
The Blues were suddenly on top and scholar Kundai Benyu saw an effort blocked after Josh Emmanuel had cut the ball back to him from the right.
Julian Koch turned the ball wide for Fortuna on 70 after a drinks break with the game continuing to be played in great heat.
Town took the lead for the first time in the game four minutes later when Bru played in Fraser on the right and the Scotland U21 international cut the ball back to Maitland-Niles, who side-footed into the corner of the net.
The lead didn’t last long, however, and in the 76th minute Christian Strohdiek diverted Liendl’s freekick from midway inside the Blues’ half into the net.
Fortuna weren’t far from nudging back in front in the 81st minute when Schmitz crossed low from the left but Pohjanpalo was just unable to add the final touch at close range.
Three minutes later, the home side did make it 4-3. Sub Julian Schauerte crossed low from the right and Sararer slammed into the roof of the net from close range to claim the win from what had been an entertaining friendly."
Blues boss Mick McCarthy will largely see the match as a fitness exercise and, despite the defeat, will be pleased his team performed so well against a side much further through their pre-season preparations.
First half: Bialkowski, Hammond, Kenlock, Chambers, Clarke, McDonnell, Connolly, Skuse, Sears, Bishop, Henshall.
Second half: Gerken, Emmanuel, Tabb, Smith, Yorwerth, Benyu, Bru, Maitland-Niles, Fraser, Stewart, Pitman. Att: 5,700 (Town: 600).