Suddenly the challenger is ahead: With its best performance of the season, Borussia Dortmund has conquered the top of the table in the Bundesliga for at least one night. With a goal from Marco Reus, BVB, who had been playing well for a long time, defeated TSG Hoffenheim 1-0 (1-0) on Friday evening and can watch on Saturday whether permanent champions FC Bayern Munich or Union Berlin pass them again in the top game.
Reus (16th) did for Dortmund for the 45th time in the Bundesliga what he does best anyway: score a 1-0. He thus set the club record set by Manni Burgsmüller. Hoffenheim could have stormed to the top of the league themselves, but after three wins in a row they were too harmless offensively, especially in the first half. Only when BVB loosened their iron grip a little was TSG almost equal.
“We did very well in the first half, in the second we lost our strength a bit,” said Reus on “DAZN”: “We protected our goal well and have to be a little more callous in front.”
From the first minute, BVB wanted to make amends for the lightning collapse in the last home game against Werder Bremen (2: 3). Coach Edin Terzic had to do without the sick Raphael Guerreiro and Karim Adeyemi (toe injury) in this attempt, Thomas Meunier and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens started in their place.
Süle initially on the BVB bench due to lack of fitness
Former Hoffenheimer Niklas Süle was initially on the bench due to lack of fitness, Mahmoud Dahoud has to have an operation on his shoulder and will be out for months.
In front of 79,300 spectators, a few hundred of them from Hoffenheim, BVB initially tried in vain to pass to their striker Anthony Modeste. Hoffenheim was initially stable, but only initially. Julian Brandt then teased the defensive line with his wonderful direct pass to the oncoming Reus. He hit the far corner.
Then Modeste was served the ball once at the desired height, the Frenchman headed just over it (19′). Later he paved the way for a great chance for Bynoe-Gittens with a cross, who had to be substituted just before half-time with another shoulder injury.
BVB gives double chance
BVB pushed, pushed, stormed, he had his strongest minutes of the season. Reus (43rd) and Jude Bellingham (45th) could have increased. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, often lost the ball before the center line, so the offensive with top striker Andrej Kramaric was hardly integrated. For a top game, there should have been a lot more from the guests.
Coach Andre Breitenreiter had seen enough – he punished Robert Skov, Christoph Baumgartner and Dennis Geiger with a triple change. 18-year-old Muhammed Damar was allowed to try his hand at midfield for the first time. And indeed: Georginio Rutter got the first notable scoring chance (52nd) on Damar’s assist. TSG was suddenly there, aggressive, risk-taking, offensive.
BVB remained stronger, but no longer had the blatant superiority of the first half. Thorgan Hazard and Modeste should have decided the game with a curious double chance (67th). TSG goalkeeper Oliver Baumann made a very good save.