Borussia Dortmund can still win against TSG Hoffenheim. After five games without a win against Kraichgauer, the Revierklub prevailed 1-0 (0-0) at TSG on matchday four of the Bundesliga. Substitute Marco Reus (76th) scored for BVB, which has nine points. The Hoffenheim remain at six points. The European Cup season begins next week for Dortmund and Hoffenheim. Borussia will have to start the group stage of the Champions League at Lazio Rome on Tuesday, TSG will face Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League on Thursday.
BVB coach Lucien Favre surprised with his starting XI, in which numerous prominent names were missing due to the international matches in the past few days. So Erling Haaland, Reus, Raphael Guerreiro and Roman Bürki sat on the bench. TSG had to do without top scorer Andrej Kramaric, who like Kasim Adams had tested positive for the corona virus after international trips. In addition, due to the strain, numerous national players sat on the bench at Hoffenheim.
The 6030 admitted spectators in the Sinsheimer Arena saw the first big chance for the hosts in the 4th minute, which Mijat Gacinovic could not use. The Dortmund team, who were missing Thorgan Hazard, Manuel Akanji and Nico Schulz, were threatened for the first time shortly afterwards by Jadon Sancho (8th).
The big problems on both sides with the newly laid lawn were noticeable. The players kept sliding away. After just 20 minutes, Lukasz Piszczek from Dortmund had to leave the pitch with an eye injury. Thomas Delaney came for the Pole, who was hit in the face by Stefan Posch from Hoffenheim.
The Hoffenheim team, who had to do without captain Benjamin Hübner, Pavel Kaderabek, Ermin Bicakcic, Havard Nordtveit and Konstantinos Stafylidis, determined what happened in this phase. BVB was waiting for a counterattack that Sancho should use. Neither one nor the other strategy led to success, the 0-0 was held after half an hour.
After that, the Hoffenheimers were lucky. First Robert Skov saved on his own goal line against Giovanni Reyna (35th), then Dortmund’s Thomas Meunier hit the crossbar with his head after a corner (37th). At the beginning of the second round, the guests pushed the pace even more. The Dortmund leadership seemed to be a matter of time. After just under an hour, the Hoffenheim team came back into play better, the game was even.
According to Favre’s will, Haaland and Reus should change – both came in the 64th minute. Sancho and Julian Brandt had to make room. In the 74th minute, Reus failed to TSG goalkeeper Oliver Baumann. Shortly afterwards he did better after Haaland’s preliminary work. Haaland himself missed a big chance in the 79th minute.
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