Borussia Dortmund remain in the bottom third of the Bundesliga table. On Saturday, the Black and Yellows slipped to a 1-0 (0-0) defeat at home to Hannover 96 despite controlling the match one in the opening 60 minutes and creating eight chances to the visitors’ one up to that point. For first time since the spring of 2000, BVB have lost four games in a row in the Bundesliga.

In front of a capacity 80,667 crowd at Signal Iduna Park, Hiroshi Kiyotake scored the winning goal for the visitors on 61 minutes with a free-kick after BVB had wasted several chances to go in front. The Black and Yellows either shot wide or attracted great saves from 96 ‘keeper Zieler who brilliantly turned a header from Mats Hummels against the crossbar (18 mins) or superbly kept out a Marco Reus effort (55 mins).

The Scenario:

It was 14th versus tenth. After their worst start to a season in 27 years, BVB looked to give their season a much-needed boost. Both sides went into the game on the back of a three-game losing run, with Borussia having a chance to move ahead of Hannover in the table with a win. The Black and Yellows had given their confidence a huge lift beating Galatasary 4-0 in the UEFA Champions League. Hoping to emulate their form in European club football's premier competition (nine points, +9 goals) they had asked to play in their Champions League kit - a wish that was granted by the German Football League (DFL).

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Roman Weidenfeller played his 322nd game in the Bundesliga for BVB against Hannover – only Michael Zorc (468) has made more appearances for BVB than the goalkeeper.

Personnel Matters:

Borussia were without Schmelzer (broken hand), Blaszczykowski (thigh), Kirch (match fitness) and Sahin (knee surgery). Durm (muscular problems) and Bender (arm injury) were in the starting line-up as were Ramos (for Kagawa) and Gündogan (for Kehl) with Sokratis given a rest. Hannover had to do without Miller (knee), Andreasen (hip), Stindl, Hoffmann (both match fitness), Albornoz (ankle), Pander (stomach bug) and Sakai (thigh), forcing 96 coach to reshuffle his defensive pack, with Stankevicius and Felipe coming into the team and playing at full-back positions and Schulz moving to centre-back.

Tactics:

Borussia Dortmund lined up in a 4-3-3 with three strikers instead of their usual 4-2-3-1, with Ramos playing up front in the centre while Aubameyang and Reus operated on the wings. Hannover 96 also went with a different formation, playing with a very deep 4-2-3-1 instead of 4-4-2.

The Game & Analysis:

The visitors started the game more positively as they dominated possession in the opening 10 minutes (54 percent). They also created the first chance after six minutes when ex-Borusse Bittencourt was left unmarked by Piszczek after a Stankevicius throw-in but his shot from eight yards went just wide. BVB were not in the game yet, and they were very lucky here not to fall behind.

That Hannover chance, however, served as a wake-up call for BVB who now took full control of the match which gradually developed into a one-way affair. Mkhitaryan had the first chance to put the hosts in front on 11 minutes, but his shot on the turn was tipped around the post by Zieler for a corner.

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Hannover’s Gülselam then almost scored an own goal when he diverted a Piszczek cross just inches wide of the post (17 mins). From the resulting corner, brilliantly delivered by Reus, Hummels won a header against Felipe only to be denied by a stunning save from Zieler who tipped the ball onto the crossbar (18 mins).

The Black and Yellows continued to push forward as Reus went close with a left-foot effort on 20 minutes, while Aubameyang was denied by a last-ditch clearance from Marcelo a minute later before Reus tried his luck again from 18 yards. With six chances to Hannover’s one, BVB were the dominant side in the first half but their finishing failed to match their build-up play.

After the break, the game followed a similar pattern with Borussia dominating possession and creating chances. The first one came shortly after the restart when Reus went close from a tight angle shortly, and Reus was again close with a shot eight minutes later but Zieler came up with a great reflex save (55 mins). With six shots in total as that time, Reus had three times as many as the entire Hannover team. BVB’s ninth chance of the game fell to Ramos but the Colombian, after shrugging off Marcelo and moving the ball from the left to his right foot, failed to hit the target as well.

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Sven Bender in a duel with Hannover’s Bittencourt.

At the other end, Hiroshi Kiyotake showed ruthless efficiency when he stepped up to take a free-kick and curled the ball over a five-man wall and into the net, giving Weidenfeller no chance. Visibly rocked by this goal, BVB were lucky not concede again four minutes later when Weidenfeller was required to make a double save to deny Kiyotake and Joselu (65 mins).

Jürgen Klopp immediately responded by bringing on Kagawa for Gündogan (66 mins), but the Black and Yellows struggled to get back into the game. It took until the 76th minute before they created another clear-cut chance when Ramos went close with a header. In another attempt to inject new life into his side, Klopp also sent on Sokratis (for Durm) and Immobile (for Ramos) to go all-out attack against a 10-man Hannover side (Gülselam was dismissed for a second bookable offence) but it was to no avail as BVB failed to create further chances inside the box. They actually had to thank Weidenfeller for keeping them in the game as the Dortmund keeper denied Joselu after a sloppy back pass by Piszczek (79 mins). Mkhitaryan had the last chance to equalise for BVB on 84 minutes but his lob from 60 yards went over the bar.

Teams & Goals

Bundesliga, Matchday 9
BORUSSIA DORTMUND – HANNOVER 96 0-1 (0-0)

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller – Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Durm – Mkhitaryan, Bender, Gündogan - Reus, Ramos, Aubameyang
Hannover 96: Zieler – Stankevicius, Marcelo, Felipe, Schulz - Schmiedebach, Gülselam - Bittencourt, Kiyotake – Briand, Joselu
Substitutions: 66. Kagawa for Gündogan, 77. Immobile and Sokratis for Ramos and Durm - 72. Hirsch for Stankevicius, 73. Sobiech for Kiyotake, 90.+4 Schlaudraff for Briand
Goals: 0-1 Kiyotake (61., free-kick)
Corners: 13-1 (HT 8-1), Chances: 10-5 (6-1)
Refereer: Stieler (Hamburg), Yellow cards: Mkhitaryan, Gündogan, Reus - Joselu, Schmiedebach, Gülselam, Marcelo, Zieler
Attendance: 80,667 (sold-out), Weather: cloudy, 13 degrees

Prospects:

On Tuesday, BVB face a trip to FC St. Pauli in their second round tie of the DFB Cup (kick-off: 2030 CET) before they travel to Munich to meet Bayern Munich (1830 CET) at a sold-out Allianz Arena on Saturday.