Borussia Dortmund found its way back onto the Bundesliga track on Saturday afternoon after the cup slip at FC St. Pauli. With a lot of fortune and the greater coolness in taking advantage of the few chances they had to score, the second in the Bundesliga table won 3-2 after goals from Haaland (6th minute) at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, who had fallen from fourth place to sixth after six home wins and a draw. , Reus (58′) and an own goal by Raum (67′) when Kramaric (45′ + 1′) and Rutter (77′) conceded.
“It was a victory of effectiveness,” said captain Marco Reus about the happy victory. Since table leaders Bayern Munich only play at Hertha BSC in Berlin this Sunday, BVB reduced the gap to the champions to three points for the time being – after a performance that was only convincing in phases. What the diligently plowing Borussia had ahead of the always trying and after shots on goal (14: 3) significantly stronger TSG was alone the coolness in the end.
“We have to manage not to concede easy goals on not so good days, that was a good step today,” said central defender Manuel Akanji, describing Dortmund’s self-defense strategy on days like this, when the challenger Hoffenheim should have won. In Dortmund, the 2-1 cup defeat at second division leaders FC St. Pauli had once again shaken self-esteem and once again put the mentality issue, which had long been discussed at this location, on the agenda. Coach Marco Rose had drawn the obvious conclusion from this: “We have to become more sustainable and consistent.”
Good start for Dortmund
What had recently been part of the standard repertoire of the table second in the Bundesliga games. At fourth-placed Hoffenheim, they didn’t linger long when they lost 4-1 at home in the round of 16 against class rivals SC Freiburg from Baden. “That just happens,” commented coach Sebastian Hoeneß on Wednesday evening’s mishap. In the same breath he said three days before the top league game against BVB: “It won’t knock us down.”
New game, new luck: That’s what both teams believed before the duel in the Sinsheimer Arena. And things got off to a good start for the second in the table, who used his best combination to make it 1-0 during the first half when Haaland made it 1-0 after Malen’s pass from a short goal distance. After that, however, the Westphalians lost more and more of their attacking game – also because the team, remembering the bad experiences in Hamburg, placed particular value on defensive work.
Hoffenheim then quarreled with a post header from Rutter (11th), which gave Kobel the chance to fend off the ball. Another header from Richards (23rd) touched the crossbar. Bebou, who was usually deployed as a striker, this time as a right midfielder, initiated the well-deserved equalizer with a side shift from right to left when his template reached the free-standing Croatian Kramaric, who shortly before the break with a volley shot the overdue 1-1 against more vulnerable by the minute seeming Dortmund scored. It was Andrej Kramaric’s third goal of the season and the hundredth competitive goal for the club, where he has felt safe since 2016.
Haaland replaced early
Another player in coach Sebastian Hoeneß’ team was greeted with warm applause when the team’s line-up was announced on Saturday afternoon: Captain Benjamin Hübner was back in the starting XI for the first time after a year and a half in which he had to recover from injuries instead of playing and presented himself immediately as the “absolute competitive type” that Hoeneß rightly sees in him.
Hoffenheim made the game – and after the change even more compelling than before. The next goal, however, benefited the Dortmunders. With a crisp shot high into the left corner of the goal, Reus completed the second worth seeing offensive action by the Westphalians, which had once again been initiated by the strong Malen. At BVB, Haaland, who was apparently struggling with groin pain, had to leave the field early after about an hour. Defensive midfielder Witsel came in for him – an indication that Dortmund was relying even more on their own defences?
First of all, not after national player David Raum, who had extended his contract with TSG by a year until 2026 on Friday, steered Malen’s sharp cross into his own goal. 1:3, that was a clear indication of the outcome of the game, although Rutter still made it 2:3 (77th). BVB were lucky one last time when Rudy’s expert shot missed his target by just a few centimeters (89′).
If the Dortmund game was lost at FC St. Pauli after a below-average performance, this time an average performance was enough for a happy victory, which, however, and this was most important to Dortmund, was certified with a suitable mentality.
