SINSHEIM, Germany — Borussia Dortmund pulled off a late escape to avoid a first defeat under Lucien Favre to Julian Nagelsmann’s Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon in Sinsheim. Despite being down to 10 men, Christian Pulisic found the equaliser five minutes before the end to make it 1-1.
After a bright start by the Black and Yellows in the first 15 minutes, the hosts subsequently took over. Roman Burki had to come up with a big save in the 18th minute against former Dortmund midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt. Two minutes before the break, Hoffenheim finally punished the Ruhr side for their lackadaisical defending as Brazilian forward Joelinton slotted home without any trouble from inside the box.
The hosts had plenty of chances after the break, deserving to be ahead by more than one goal. However, VAR ruled a quick goal after half-time offside. But as the hosts became more passive entering the last quarter of the game, BVB found their way back into the match. Ten minutes after defender Abdou Diallo was sent off for a questionable red card, Pulisic found the onion bag after a pass from Marco Reus.
Hoffenheim nearly responded with a stoppage-time winner but substitute Ishak Belfodil shot the ball to the moon from one yard out.
Positives
Over 90 minutes, Hoffenheim were the better team but the points were split in the end. Dortmund have to be applauded for their morale as they once again found the net late in the game. It’s one point gained rather than two points dropped.
Negatives
One can only wonder if Favre finds it unfair that his opponents have centre-forwards while he has not. That being said, is Alexander Isak really worse than Marius Wolf upfront? BVB’s struggle to create chances carries on, which makes falling behind all the worse for them. Luck was once again a major contributing factor for the Black and Yellows not to leave the game empty-handed.
Manager rating out of 10
5 — His substitutes helped to breath life in BVB’s attack but the starting lineup did not manage to create a chance before the 57th minute.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Roman Burki, 8 — The goalkeeper, VAR and the offside flag were arguably BVB’s best players on the day. Burki’s massive save in a one on one against Leo Bittencourt was spectacular and vital.
DF Lukasz Piszczek, 4 — The Poland right-back was always caught in several minds as the hosts attacked with two or three players down BVB’s right side.
DF Manuel Akanji, 4 — The Swiss defender was rooted to the ground as Joelinton scored the opener.
DF Abdou Diallo, 4 — The centre-back was far away from having his best game but nevertheless, is sending off in the 75th minute was harsh. Diallo had the upper-hand in a tussle against Andrej Kramaric as last defender but referee Harm Osmers saw it differently and drew the red card out of his back pocket.
DF Marcel Schmelzer, 7 — Another big hustle by the left-back, whose pre-assist was the cherry on top following a good performance.
MF Axel Witsel, 5 — Somewhat hit and miss performance and looked awfully slow at times.
MF Mahmoud Dahoud, 4 — Was lucky not be sent off after having seen a yellow card just 20 minutes in. Not the big creative outlet on Saturday.
MF Shinji Kagawa, 6 — The Japan international shifted between the attacking and midfield line. His footballing IQ is always on display as he manages to mark opponents due to his positional awareness. However, his through-balls weren’t quite sharp enough.
MF Christian Pulisic, 7 — The 20-year-old cranked it up toward the end of the game, constantly dribbling past his opponents. He rewarded himself for a very good second half with an all-important goal.
MF Marius Wolf, 3 — One has to wonder if the Frankfurt signing has a long-term future in Dortmund. His technique is simply not up to the standard of BVB’s ambition. He might get the nod due to his work rate and defensive acumen but on Saturday, he failed to make dangerous runs, while his awkward first touch caused his defenders headaches.
FW Marco Reus, 5 — The team captain has become a contender to motoring show star James May as “captain slow.” The 29-year-old has looked dramatically off the pace in recent weeks. Losing a sprint against Hoffenheim centre-back Kevin Vogt is testament to that. In the end, however, Reus grabbed a vital assist.
Substitutes
MF Thomas Delaney, 5 — After coming on in the 60th minute, the Danish international won a lot of balls deep in Hoffenheim’s half, helping to pin back the opponent.
MF Jadon Sancho, 4 — In the final 30 minutes, Sancho looked like he wanted to win by himself.
FW Maximilian Philipp, 4 — Mostly helped to create space for his teammates with clever runs in the final 20 minutes.
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