Dortmund defense holds
Good start, fragile final phase – Borussia Dortmund took the lead in the Bundesliga for at least one day. With the 1-0 (1-0) win over TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, coach Edin Terzic’s side made amends for the embarrassing last-minute blackout in the final home game against Bremen (2- 3) and put the former Munich leaders ahead of their top game on Saturday against the pressurized Union Berlin chaser.
In front of 79,300 spectators at Signal Iduna Park, Marco Reus (16th minute) secured the deserved victory and a successful dress rehearsal before the start of the Champions League four days later at the same venue against FC Copenhagen. On the other hand, the guests missed out on a club record start and had to concede defeat for the first time after three straight wins.
Undeterred by the loss of three incumbents Raphael Guerreiro, Karim Ademeyi and Mahmoud Dahoud, who will be out for weeks due to upcoming shoulder surgery, BVB have taken the lead from the start. The increase in ball possession was initially not reflected in goalscoring opportunities. But as the season progressed, the Hoffenheim defense came under more and more pressure. A direct pass from Julian Brandt in the center of the attack, which is worth seeing, gave Borussia the lead when Reus sent the ball into the far corner from close range.
This early deficit made things difficult for the guests. It was only with luck that they escaped a bigger deficit against Borussia, who are now playing strong, when new signing Anthony Modeste (19th) and young professional Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (22nd) missed good opportunities.
The fact that another player was injured at Bynoe-Gittens and had to be replaced by Thorgan Hazard before the break couldn’t stop BVB’s enthusiasm. Reus (42nd) and Jude Bellingham (45th) were close to making it 2-0. On the other hand, the guests do not put much emphasis on the offensive. In the first half, BVB goalkeeper Gregor Kobel remained almost unemployed. 9:1 penalty kicks in favor of Borussia were an expression of great superiority.
It was only after the restart that Hoffenheim revealed a goal threat. A shot by Georginio Rutter (52nd) from the edge of the penalty area narrowly missed the BVB goal. Although this opportunity was not used, it gave a boost to the guests. Increasingly they pressed the Borussia goal, which had lost its dominance in the first half. After goalkeeper Oliver Baumann thwarted a double chance from Hazard and Modeste (67th), BVB began to tremble. With a lot of struggle, BVB saved the narrow lead over time.
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