Marcus Harness was on target but the Blues were beaten 2-1 by Fortuna Düsseldorf in their second public friendly of pre-season. The 2. Bundesliga side went in front in the fifth minute via Danny Schmidt before sub Harness levelled on 48 but the Germans restored their lead on 57 through Tim Roßmann and overall deserved the victory.
New signings Aro Muric, Ben Johnson, Jacob Greaves and Liam Delap all started for the Blues for Fortuna’s first game at Portman Road and their first in England since 1956.
Muric was making his first appearance for the Blues in goal with Ben Johnson, playing his first game at Portman Road at right-back, with Leif Davis at left-back. Greaves, also making his first start for the Blues, and George Edmundson were at the centre of the defence.
Skipper Sam Morsy and Massimo Luongo were in the centre of midfield with Delap, also making his first start since joining the club, the central striker.
The three behind the ex-Manchester City man were Conor Chaplin, Wes Burns and Jack Taylor, with the former Peterborough man on the left, Chaplin in the centre and Burns on the right.
Absent from the squad were Omari Hutchinson, who also missed the Shakhtar game last week, apparently due to his workload being managed, Harry Clarke and Ali Al-Hamadi, who both underwent surgery earlier in the summer, Nathan Broadhead and Cameron Humphreys, who suffered knocks earlier in pre-season, and Axel Tuanzebe, who missed the Austria camp for personal reasons.
In blazing hot sun, the 2.Bundeslia team dominated the early stages and went in front via the game’s first real chance in the fifth minute, Isak Johannesson crossing from the left and Schmidt heading down and across Muric and into the net at the back post.
Town looked to get back in the game quickly and on seven Morsy put a ball over the top for Delap, but the £15 million signing’s first-time effort was too close to keeper Florian Kastenmeier.
On 12, Davis overhit a cross from the left from a good Edmundson pass, then Fortuna broke and Felix Klaus was found in space on the right of the box but Muric did well to save his low effort down to his right. Meanwhile, Burns and goalscorer Schmidt had collided accidentally off the ball but both stayed on after treatment.
Fortuna continued to see most of the ball but with neither side creating another opportunity before a drinks break on the half hour with the temperature very hot.
As the players returned, Burns was swapped for Marcus Harness, the Welshman having suffered his earlier collision.
Harness was immediately into the action, skinning Emmanuel Iyoha on the right of the box, cutting in and clipping a cross to the far post where Taylor headed goalwards and Kastenmeier tipped over.
From the resultant corner, the keeper made another save, this time from a Greaves header.
In the 41st minute, Chaplin slid a pass in for Delap on the right of the box but a defender got in a toe as the striker shot and the ball deflected easily through to Kastenmeier.
In the first of two minutes of added-on time, Harness caught out Iyoha as they chased a ball which looked set to beat them to the byline, the former Portsmouth man slipping it between the Fortuna man’s legs and taking it into the area, but the sub’s low cross was too close to Kastenmeier.
That was the final action of a half in which the visitors had had the better of it overall and led through their early goal.
As was the case against Shakhtar last week, the Blues had long periods without the ball but without the opposition unable to create too many chances.
At the other end, the Blues had threatened on a few occasions with Taylor and Greaves going closest with their headers, while Davis hadn’t found his range with his crossing, despite having been played into decent positions on a few occasions.
Town made four changes ahead of the season half with Christian Walton, Luke Woolfenden, Cameron Burgess and George Hirst taking over from Muric, Edmundson, Greaves and Delap.
And it took less than three minutes for the Blues to restore parity, Chaplin playing to Harness on the right of the box and the forward shooting low across the keeper left-footed and into the corner of the net.
On 51, Town almost went in front. Chaplin played a great ball for Hirst to chase on the left midway inside the Fortuna half with Taylor breaking down the middle. Hirst may have taken a little too long over his pass but still found the ex-Posh man, who seemed certain to score but somehow Kastenmeier clawed over.
Three minutes later, Fortuna threatened, Ao Tanaka working himself space on the edge of the box but shooting too close to Walton, who saved comfortably.
But the close to 500 travelling German fans weren’t to be denied their second goal too much longer.
In the 57th minute, the Blues were caught out on one side of the pitch, leaving space on the other for Tim Roßmann, who was played in on goal behind Johnson and beat Walton confidently.
Three minutes later, as the game approached the hour mark, Town were again caught short of players on that flank and Roßmann was allowed another shot at goal, but this time hit his effort across the face and wide.
Town had made an improved start to the second half with Hirst’s movement having afforded Chaplin more space than he had had in the opening period, however, since Fortuna’s second goal, the visitors had taken charge. On 63, Jona Niemiec shot straight at Walton from a free-kick just outside the area.
The Blues swapped Luongo and Davis for Freddie Ladapo and Elkan Baggott in the 66th minute, the former Rotherham striker going to the left-sided forward role with Taylor moving back and Baggott at left-back.
Fortuna almost had a third in the 70th minute with the ball loose in the area and with Walton grounded, but Johnson did well to stab it away from Schmidt with the goal gaping.
Two minutes later, Johnson sent over a corner from the left and Hirst headed powerfully towards goal, however, Kastenmeier was equal to it.
On 74, Iyoha shot not too far wide of Walton’s left post with the visitors continuing to present the greater threat.
Three minutes later, Burgess was booked for a foul on Niemiec on halfway and the teams used the stoppage for drinks. On 81, as play resumed, Finley Barbrook replaced Johnson.
Following all the substitutions by both sides, the game drifted to a close in the final minutes, Ladapo blazing deep into the Sir Bobby Robson Stand on 86.
Two minutes later, Chaplin was swapped for Leon Ayinde, then Ladapo headed not too far wide from a right-wing cross.
Neither side threatened in the remaining minutes and overall the 2-1 scoreline was a fair reflection of the game with Fortuna ahead of the Blues in terms of pre-season with their campaign opener at Darmstadt a week on Sunday.
The Blues’ best spell was at the start of the second half with Hirst making quite a difference when he came on but Town never got back on top again following Fortuna’s second goal.
But, as with last week’s game with Shakhtar, there will have been plenty for Town to take from the game, not least limiting Fortuna to relatively few opportunities in periods when they had a lot of the ball, something they will almost certainly need to do once the season proper gets under way.
Following the game, there was a penalty shootout, also won by Fortuna, 7-6, Chaplin hitting the post with Town’s first kick and Woolfenden seeing his saved, while Morsy, Hirst, Ladapo, Taylor, Harness and Burgess found the net.
Walton in the Town goal saved from Matthias Zimmermann with his Fortuna counterpart Kastenmeier netting the final kick following Woolfenden’s miss.
Town are next in action in Germany when they take on Borussia Mönchengladbach and Hoffenheim on Friday and Saturday.
Town: Muric (Walton 46), Johnson (F Barbrook 81), Davis (Baggott 66), Edmundson (Woolfenden 46), Greaves (Burgess 46), Morsy (c), Luongo (Ladapo 66), Burns (Harness 30), Taylor, Chaplin (Ayinde 88), Delap (Hirst 46).
Fortuna: Kastenmeier, Hoffmann (c) (De Wijs 80), Tanaka, Johannesson, Klaus (Niemiec 61), Oberdorf (Quarshie 80), Iyoha (Jastrzembski 86), Schmidt (Manu 80), Appelkamp (Roßmann 46), Zimmermann, Sobottka (Suso 86). Unused: Kwasigroch, Schock, Affo. Referee: Josh Smith (Lincolnshire). Att: 15,337 (Fortuna: 453).