Dortmund overpower resilient Hoffenheim 3-2 in Bundesliga
BERLIN: AUGUST 28 – Erling Haaland’s last-gasp winner helped Borussia Dortmund beat Hoffenheim in a five-goal thriller at the opener of the 3rd round in Bundesliga on Friday.
Hoffenheim restored parity twice, but Haaland’s late decider sealed Dortmund’s second victory.
Both sides started highly motivated into the encounter as Andrej Kramaric rattled the far post by a header with three minutes played before Dortmund’s Giovanni Reyna couldn’t beat goalkeeper Oliver Baumann in a one-on-one moments later.
As the game progressed, Dortmund dominated possession whereas Hoffenheim focused on its defence. Hence, the spectators at the Signal-Iduna Park had to wait until the 39th minute as Christoph Baumgartner tested custodian Gregor Kobel while Dortmund’s new arrival Donyell Malen forced Baumann into action at the other end of the pitch.
After the break, Dortmund caught a fairy-tale start into the second half as Jude Bellingham’s assist allowed Reyna to overcome Baumann with a well-placed low shot into the bottom right corner in the 49th minute.
Dortmund’s lead didn’t last long though as Hoffenheim levelled the scores at the hour mark when Baumgartner utilized a through ball before finishing the job from a tight angle.
The “BVB” remained unimpressed and took the lead again in the 68th minute after Bellingham scored with a dropkick following a rebound.
Hoffenheim responded with furious attacks and was able to shock Dortmund in the closing stages as substitute Munas Dabbus poked home a corner kick at the far post to make it 2-2 in the 90th minute.
It looked like resilient Hoffenheim was able to snatch a draw on the road, but the hosts had the last laugh as Haaland benefitted on a blocked ball inside the box and drilled the ball into the net from very close range in the injury time.
“I am of course satisfied with the performance of my team. I think both teams played very well today. It was an entertaining match. From my point of view the game should have ended in a draw,” Hoffenheim head coach Sebastian Hoeness said.
“I am delighted with the result of the game. We secured all three points but there are still some things we need to improve,” Dortmund head coach Marco Rose said.
The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: Stuttgart host Freiburg, Mainz see newly promoted Greuther Furth, Augsburg face Bayer Leverkusen, Arminia Bielefeld clash with Eintracht Frankfurt, Cologne meet newcomers Bochum and Bayern Munich encounter Herha Berlin.
-Xinhua
