Hoffenheim suffer narrow defeat in Dortmund

Two changes were made to the side that recorded a 0-0 home draw with Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, with Tobias Strobl replacing Kai Herdling and Tarik Elyounoussi coming in for the suspended Anthony Modeste.

Great start by TSG but Dortmund score three in five minutes

Attacking football was to be expected, since Dortmund (73 goals) and Hoffenheim (67) are amongst the most prolific attacking sides in the Bundesliga this season. So it wasn't surprising to see a high tempo start to the match. Dortmund were showing an early presence in Hoffenheim's area, but could not record a real shot on target. At the other end, TSG proved more clinical and Roberto Firmino scored the opener for the visitors just five minutes after kick-off. It was a well executed attack via the right-hand side, with Firmino firing home from 10 yards after Volland's assist. It was his 15th goal of the season.

Kevin Volland then squandered a huge opportunity to double TSG's lead just two minutes after the opener. This time Firmino provided the pass, but Volland's shot was cleared off the line by Mats Hummels. It was a fast-paced start to the game and after ten minutes the hosts created their first proper chance, with Marco Reus forcing a quality save from TSG keeper Jens Grahl. Both teams struggled in their defensive performance, thus producing a number of opportunities, like Henrikh Mkhitaryan's volley in the 21st minute that went just wide. Six minutes later Volland went close again, but his just shot from just outside the area skimmed past the post. Less than sixty seconds later Dortmund got their equaliser. Jojic won possession in midfield and passed across to the advancing Großkreutz, who struck a low, curling effort from 20 yards into the corner of the net, giving Grahl no chance. Dortmund were now all over Hoffenheim who looked stunned and promptly conceded a second goal just two minutes after the equaliser. Reus was given too much space on the right-hand side and crossed the ball into the centre where Mkhitaryan was unmarked and comfortably headed the ball past Grahl.

The visitors were now constantly pinned back into their own half and Dortmund used their next opportunity to make it 3-1. Hoffenheim were unable to clear a Reus free kick from their area and the ball ended up with Lukasz Piszczek who skilfully volleyed the ball into the far corner, again leaving Grahl no hope. Dortmund had turned a one-goal deficit into a 3-1 lead in the space of just five minutes. An exciting first half came to end with Dortmund in control and TSG rueing their missed chance to take a two-goal advantage.

Weidenfeller's mistake gives TSG hope

There were no changes at half time and the game lacked the intensity of the first half. Dortmund's Großkreutz had the first notable chance in the second 45, curling a shot just wide of the far post in the 60th minute. Having already scored the equaliser in this fashion, he turned into a specialist for low curled attempts, as just one minute after he missed the target, Großkreutz again tried to find the far corner with a right-footed attempt but this time Grahl saved comfortably. A gift from Roman Weidenfeller in the 66th minute meant Hoffenheim were back in contention. Niklas Süle's attempt from 25 yards was going straight towards Dortmund's goal where Weidenfeller was awaiting the ball, but instead of catching it or deflecting it to the side he allowed the shot to drop between his legs and into the back of the net. TSG were now eager to get a result and were nearly awarded with the equaliser but Salihovic, who was brought on ten minutes into the second half, had his shot blocked by Hummels.

Hoffenheim were closer to the equaliser than Dortmund to regaining their two-goal lead. Salihovic and Firmino both had long-range attempts that went close, but ultimately Dortmund were able to fend off Hoffenheim's final efforts and secure a narrow 3-2 home victory. A frantic five minutes in the first half, where TSG looked to have lost their defensive organisation, turned out to be vital.

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller – Piszczek, Sokratis, Hummels, Schmelzer – Jojic, Sahin – Großkreutz, Reus (76' Aubameyang), Mkhitaryan (81‘ Hofmann) - Lewandowski

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim: Grahl – Beck, Abraham, Süle, Johnson – Rudy, Polanski (61' Gyau) – Strobl (85‘ Nazario), Firmino, Elyounoussi (54‘ Salihovic) - Volland

Goals: 0-1 Firmino (5'), 1-1 Großkreutz (29'), 2-1 Mkhitaryan (31'), 3-1 Piszczek (34'), 3-2 Süle (66')

Yellow cards: Polanski

Referee: Tobias Welz

Attendance: 80,645 (sold out)

Match facts and statistics »