Bundesliga
Last-gasp Pulisic goal hands BVB 2-1 victory over TSG
Borussia Dortmund have put their recent slump firmly behind them by recording a second Bundesliga victory in five days! Having been a goal down at the break in Peter Stöger's first home game in charge, BVB came back to clinch a 2-1 win over direct rivals Hoffenheim courtesy of a last-gasp winner. As it stands, they occupy third place heading into the winter break, two adrift of second, but Leipzig and Leverkusen could move back above them if results go their way on Sunday.
Dennis-Julian Gottschlich reports
A crowd of 81,360 spectators at a sold-out SIGNAL IDUNA PARK saw BVB dominate the opening 20 minutes before Uth put TSG ahead against the run of play on the 21-minute mark. The hosts subsequently struggled to find a way back but eventually levelled when Aubameyang converted a spot-kick with 63 minutes on the clock, before grabbing a last-gasp winner through Pulisic in the 89th minute of a captivating clash in Westphalia.
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The scenario:
Sixth-placed BVB (25 points) went into this one knowing a win would take them back above sixth-placed TSG (26). Hoffenheim were winless in eight Bundesliga meetings with Dortmund (four draws, four defeats) – their longest such run against any current Bundesliga side.
Personnel matters:
Ten BVB players were out injured, with Götze, Piszczek, Reus, Schürrle, Philipp, Castro, Larsen, Sancho, Rode and Durm all on the treatment table, while Hoffenheim were only missing Wagner (fitness) and Geiger (suspension). Peter Stöger fielded the same starting XI that won in Mainz.
Tactics:
BVB, who lined up in the 4-3-3 formation they had deployed in Mainz in midweek, at times had up to five players pressing high up the pitch. Weigl, however, was not among them, with the holding midfielder ensuring he remained in front of the back four. Hoffenheim lined up in a 5-3-2 system but switched to a 3-5-2 when in possession.
The match & analysis:
BVB made a bright start to the match, delivering another compact defensive display and attempting to react to mistakes in Hoffenheim's build-up play with quick counter-attacks. They did so rather successfully in the opening quarter of an hour, with Yarmolenko one of the standout performers. Only five minutes had been played when the hosts capitalised on a misplaced pass from Grillitsch and the Ukrainian went clean through on Baumann, though his effort from a narrow angle sailed wide of the back post. In the minutes that followed he fed Pulisic, whose effort was dealt with by Baumann (9), and Aubameyang, who attempted a flick but failed to steer the ball goalbound (14). Two minutes later Yarmolenko had a go himself, only for Grillitsch to block the shot with an outstretched leg and turn it behind for a corner.
Until that point Borussia had been the marginally superior side, with Hoffenheim rarely threatening going forward. Their first moment of danger came in the 19th minute when Bürki comfortably saved a Gnabri effort from 15 metres, but the Swiss shot-stopper was beaten two minutes later when Amiri penetrated the Dortmund rearguard with a brilliant through-ball and Kaderabek squared for the unmarked Uth to slot home the opener for the visitors. A long-range Zuber effort seven minutes later was then stopped by Bürki, whose team-mates initially struggled after falling behind but came close to restoring parity through Sokratis on the half-hour mark. Unfortunately, the Greece international's header from a Kagawa free-kick sailed inches wide of the upright.
Pulisic snatches winner
TSG seemed happy to sit on their lead in the period that followed, letting BVB have the ball and looking to counter. The first good opportunity after the restart fell to Amiri, whose 51st-minute volley was thwarted by Bürki. The hosts, meanwhile, enjoyed little goalmouth action until an incident in the Hoffenheim box in the 62nd minute. Yarmolenko played a one-two with Aubameyang before picking out Kagawa, who was brought down by Posch as he turned. Referee Harm Osmers immediately pointed to the spot and Aubameyang coolly converted the ensuing penalty to level the score at 1-1 (63).
It was all action in the closing stages. Kaderabek struck a shot inches wide of the back post on the 78-minute mark and Demirbay hit a long-range strike over the bar five minutes later. BVB also threatened, albeit without ever really getting into clear goalscoring positions, but that changed in the 89th minute when Pulisic latched on to a through-pass from Kagawa in the six-yard box before touching the ball over Baumann and tapping it into an empty net! Aubameyang and Dahoud subsequently spurned chances to increase the margin of victory in stoppage time.
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What's next?
There's still a big occasion to look forward before the year is out. Wednesday (20:45 CET) sees Borussia Dortmund visit Munich to face FC Bayern in the last 16 of the DFB Cup.