Borussia Dortmund picked up an important point away from home against a fellow Champions League club on Matchday 4 of the Bundesliga season, battling back after conceding first to earn a 1-1 (0-1) draw at TSG Hoffenheim.

Boris Rupert reporting from Sinsheim

The 30,150 spectators at a sold-out WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar-Arena saw TSG take a deserved first-half lead through Joelinton. But BVB battled their way back into the game and, despite losing Diallo to a controversial red card on the 76-minute mark, restored parity six minutes from time when Pulisic was excellently set up by Reus.

The scenario:  
Of the two sides, who finished last term in third and fourth place respectively, it was BVB (two wins, one draw) rather than TSG (one win, two defeats) who had enjoyed the better early-season form. But their respective home and away records told a different story: while Hoffenheim had won each of their previous six home games, Dortmund had not won a single away league match over the same period. Both teams were in UEFA Champions League action in midweek, with Hoffenheim bringing back a 2-2 draw from Donetsk and Borussia claiming a fortunate 1-0 win in Bruges.

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Personnel matters:  
Lucien Favre made three changes to the team that started that match in Belgium, with Dahoud, Kagawa and Pulisic beginning in place of Weigl, Götze and Sancho.

Tactics: 
Borussia again took to the field in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Wolf lining up at centre-forward, Kagawa in the hole behind, and Reus and Pulisic on the flanks. The latter duo switched sides frequently during the match. When their opponents had possession, the Black & Yellows reverted to a 4-4-2 with Kagawa and Reus often the first line of pressing. Hoffenheim seemed happy to let BVB have the ball and the midfield, lining up in a 3-5-2 system and waiting for mistakes to launch lightning-quick counters.

The match & analysis:
Dortmund enjoyed 74 percent possession in the opening 20 minutes of the match but, despite their early dominance, did not seriously threaten their opponents. That said, they should have been awarded a penalty kick in the sixth minute when Schulz stood on Pulisic's foot on the edge of the box and brought the American down.

Hoffenheim caused numerous problems down the BVB right, where the talented TSG trio of Schulz, Zuber and Kramaric combined to good effect. In the very first minute of the match, a misplaced pass from the visitors led to the first dangerous opportunity but Piszczek was able to deal with the threat. Then, with over a quarter of an hour played, Bürki made an excellent save to deny Bittencourt and stop his team falling behind. The chance had come about following a counter and a cross by Schulz (18).

Shortly before the interval, the hosts took the lead through Joelinton. When BVB failed to defend a TSG counter-attack properly, Brenet played the ball into the middle and it made its way via Zuber and Diallo to the Brazilian, who hit a left-footed shot from 15 metres out inside the penalty area to put the home side 1-0 ahead (44).

Two TSG goals disallowed

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Hoffenheim, who had started to grow into the game towards the end of the first half, continued to pile on the pressure after the break, scoring two early goals. But Bicakcic's header in the 50th minute following a shortly-taken corner was disallowed by VAR, as Kramaric had been in an offside position when he crossed the ball in; then the Croatian was again deemed to be offside as he attempted a follow-up after Bürki had parried Joelinton's shot onto the post. The linesman showed no hesitation in raising his flag.

Kagawa shoots narrowly wide

At the other end, Kagawa sent a Pulisic cross inches wide of the left post in the 56th minute of the match. And when a corner was awarded after a Hoffenheim player deflected the ball behind, Piszczek's shot was blocked at the last moment.

Diallo given red card for debatable professional foul

A goal looked like it might go in at either end in what was a hotly-contested match. Favre brought off Dahoud and Wolf, bringing on fresh legs in Delaney and Sancho (60), with Philipp replacing Kagawa 10 minutes later. But Borussia soon found themselves a man down after Hoffenheim countered and Kramaric was involved in a tussle with Diallo, who first headed the ball back to Bürki and then held the Croatian back. A red card was awarded for a professional foul.

Reus shines, Pulisic scores

The team reacted brilliantly to the dismissal, pushing Hoffenheim back into their own half despite being a man down. Schmelzer initiated the equaliser with a strong pass to Reus, who broke into the box from the left and delivered a precise ball into the centre for Pulisic to level the scores in the 84th minute. Both teams went for the win in the closing stages, with Hoffenheim coming dangerously close as Belfodil fired over at the back post two minutes into stoppage time.

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Outlook:  
There are two fixtures in the Bundesliga next week: Wednesday (20:30 CET) sees 1. FC Nürnberg travel to Signal Iduna Park, followed by another difficult away trip next Saturday (18:30 CET) as the Black & Yellows visit Leverkusen.

Teams & goals