Borussia Dortmund's return to Berlin's Olympiastadion, the scene of their DFB Cup triumph, did not quite go according to plan as they were held to a 1-1 (0-0) draw by Hertha BSC on Friday evening in the opening fixture of Bundesliga Matchday 19. The result sees Peter Stöger's team climb to third place in the table for the time being, but BVB might consider themselves unlucky not to have won given their performance in the second half.

Dennis-Julian Gottschlich reports

The 65,893 spectators in attendance saw a first-half in which both defences performed solidly and handed their opponents little in the way of chances, with Kagawa (14) and Sancho (36) the only BVB players who came close to scoring. Hertha's only standout chance of the opening half came when Lazaro struck a free-kick into the side-netting (30). Selke fired the hosts into a surprise lead immediately after the restart (46), but the visitors reacted positively and pressed for an equaliser that eventually came through Kagawa (71). In the end the Black & Yellows should have won, with Sancho, Toljan and Isak all spurning good opportunities in the closing stages.

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Schürrle was handed a starting berth as the lone frontman.

The scenario:
Borussia Dortmund had only lost one of their previous eight competitive matches against Hertha – by a 2-1 scoreline in Berlin last season – but they had only won one of their last three league visits to the Olympiastadion. Three points would have seen the 11th-placed hosts move to within two points of the Black & Yellows, who started the night in fourth. A win for BVB, meanwhile, would have seen them climb – perhaps only temporarily – to second.

Personnel matters:
Coach Peter Stöger omitted star striker Aubameyang from the matchday squad for the second week in a row. "At the moment we have the impression that he has other things on his mind and is therefore not fully focused," explained sporting director Michael Zorc as the Black & Yellows boarded the plane to Berlin. Other absentees – due to a mixture of injury, rehab and match fitness – included Durm, Guerreiro, Larsen, Philipp, Reus, Rode and Schmelzer. There were only two changes to the line-up that started the clash with Wolfsburg on Sunday, with Pulisic replacing Yarmolenko on the flank and Schürrle occupying the centre-forward role in place of Isak. Hertha were without Rekik and first-choice shot-stopper Jarstein.

Tactics:
Hertha, who lined up in a deep-lying 4-4-2 in which forwards Duda and Selke served as the first line of defence, appeared happy to sit back and let the visitors dictate. When switching the play, the capital outfit transitioned to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Lazaro on the right flank and Kalou on the left. BVB took to the field in a 4-1-4-1 system with Schürrle as the lone frontman.

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Total commitment: Julian Weigl in an aerial battle.

The match & analysis:
BVB clearly went into this one with a plan to control the game and get a result, but they struggled against a Hertha side that seemed happy to let their opponents have the ball as they diligently closed down spaces in their own half. Kagawa had an opportunity from a header after 14 minutes following build-up play from Pulisic but it sailed over (14). Despite the Black & Yellows having more of the game, the hosts gave a good account of themselves and carried a danger going forward, with a Lazaro free-kick that struck the side-netting on the half-hour mark troubling Bürki.

Their next attack came three minutes later as Stark struck the upright with a header from a corner. BVB's Sancho then broke into the penalty area but, rather than going for goal himself, attempted to pick out Götze or Schürrle in the middle and Stark thwarted the danger (36). All in all, it was a dogged opening half in which there were few, if any, major highlights. But one positive was the fact that Borussia largely had Hertha's front four of Selke, Duda, Kalou and Lazaro under control.

Kagawa restores parity

The capital club caught their Westphalian visitors napping in the opening moments of the second half. Lazaro picked up the ball from Weiser down the right flank and played a quick one-two with Duda before cutting it back to the edge of the six-yard box towards Selke, who wrong-footed Bürki with a comfortable close-range finish (46). Having initially been taken aback at falling behind, the Black & Yellows reacted strongly and went in search of the equaliser. Pulisic fizzed a dangerous effort towards the top corner, only to see it brilliantly saved by Kraft (57), before Toljan fired a dangerous cross into the centre for Kagawa. But the Japan international couldn't get sufficient control on his header and Kraft dealt with it comfortably (60).

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Götze, pictured here in a duel with Maier, was replaced by Isak midway through the second-half after a decent performance.

Being behind subsequently forced BVB to take more risk, leaving Berlin space at the back to counter. And the visitors were nearly made to pay when Kalou broke through and slid the ball underneath Bürki and towards goal, only for Duda to run in from an offside position and score despite the fact the initial effort was probably already going in, causing the goal to be disallowed (65). It was a lucky break for BVB, who were rewarded for their committed second-half display soon after when Sancho brilliantly intercepted on the left, dribbled into the box, beat three players to the ball and chipped it deftly towards the back post. There stood Kagawa, unmarked, to head the ball over the line (71).

BVB wanted another and had Pal Dardai's team completely pinned back in the closing stages. Sancho flicked the ball narrowly wide of the back post following excellent set-up play by Isak in the 82nd minute, before Kraft did well to save a Toljan volley (85). A minute later, Isak received an outstanding ball from Kagawa and came within a whisker of scoring only to hammer the ball against the bar (86).

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Prospects:
BVB are next in Bundesliga action on Saturday 27 January (15:30 CET), when SC Freiburg visit Dortmund.

Teams & goals