bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund delight as Niclas Füllkrug hat-trick helps hosts see off stubborn Bochum

29.01.2024

Niclas Füllkrug scored a hat-trick as Borussia Dortmund overcame Bochum and climbed up to fourth, thanks to third third straight win of 2024.

Dortmund 3-1 Bochum
Goals: 1-0 Füllkrug pen. 7', 1-1 N. Schlotterbeck (o.g.) 45', 2-1 Füllkrug 72' (assist: Sabitzer), 3-1 Füllkrug 90'+1

Boasting a 100 per cent record at the start of 2024, Dortmund knew a third successive win since the turn of the year would help them into the Champions League spots. If going into their Matchday 19 'little Revierderby' against Bochum without the ill trio of Gregor Kobel, Julian Brandt and Marco Reus caused concern, Dortmund's quick-fire start settled home nerves. Visiting goalkeeper Manuel Riemann's foul on Donyell Malen inside the area offered Füllkrug a chance to score from the spot for the second week running. The Germany international calmly rolled the ball into the corner for his seventh Bundesliga goal of the campaign. Bochum would have levelled soon after had Erhan Mašović connected with Kevin Stöger's corner, yet the visitors' big moment would duly arrive soon after Riemann tipped over a testing Marcel Sabitzer free-kick. Never quite in full control of the contest, the hosts laid the path for their opponents' way back. Taking advantage of some sloppy Dortmund defending, Stöger and Patrick Osterhage combined to deadly effect, the latter's whipped cross met by Nico Schlotterbeck on the stretch to divert past a bemused Alexander Meyer. Maximilian Wittek then superbly denied Malen to ensure the teams went in level at the break.

Winners against VfB Stuttgart last time out, Bochum arrived at the Signal Iduna Park unbeaten in their previous two games. Buoyed by an impressive first-half showing here, Thomas Letsch's men continued to bother their hosts after the restart. Osterhage fizzed an effort just wide of the upright, while Christopher Antwi-Adjei drew a solid near-post stop from Meyer. At the other end, Germany teammates Füllkrug and Youssoufa Moukoko - starting a Bundesliga game together for the first time - combined, with the latter's acrobatic effort well-saved by Riemann. Moukoko had previously failed to take advantage of some smart Jadon Sancho work, but what worried Dortmund more was that they were continuing to leak chances. Schlotterbeck's blushes following a mistimed pass to Matus Bero were spared by the excellent Ian Maatsen's last-ditch tackle. Home coach Edin Terzic looked to raise his side's urgency by introducing Gio Reyna and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens. The latter made an immediate impact, releasing Sabitzer whose flighted cut-back was nodded home by Füllkrug. When Cristian Gamboa then upended Bynoe-Gittens in the box, BVB's No.14 slid in his hat-trick from the spot.

Match stats

Füllkrug netted his third-ever Bundesliga hat-trick and his first since September 2020 (with Bremen in a 3-1 win against Schalke).
Füllkrug has netted 14 of his 15 Bundesliga penalties.
No team has scored more goals than Dortmund (10) in the Bundesliga this year.
BVB haven't been involved in a scoreless draw in the German top flight for 146 games, which is a division record.
Borussia's penalties were the seventh and eighth spot-kicks awarded this matchday, a record this season.
Schlotterbeck put past his own goalkeeper for the second time in his Bundesliga career. The defender last scored an own goal in the German top flight as a Union Berlin player against Hoffenheim in February 2021.

Get Füllkrug for your Fantasy team for 16.1m!

Watch: Niclas Füllkrug on Dortmund's resurgent form

Teams

Dortmund: Meyer - Meunier, Süle (c), N. Schlotterbeck, Maatsen - Malen (Bynoe-Gittens 71'), Sabitzer, Özcan, Sancho (Hummels 83') - Moukoko (Reyna 68'), Füllkrug
Unused subs: Lotka, Blank, Morey Bauzà, Wolf, Can, Pohlmann
Out: Adeyemi (ankle), Bensebaini (international duty), Brandt (ill), Haller (international duty), Kobel (ill), Nmecha (hip), Reus (ill), Ryerson (knee)
Coach: Edin Terzić

Bochum: Riemann - Oermann (Gamboa 68'), Mašović, Ordets, Wittek - Osterhage, Losilla (c) (Paciência 80') - Stöger - Bero, Broschinski (Hofmann 80'), Antwi-Adjei (Kwarteng 80')
Unused subs: Thiede, Soares, Loosli, Passlack, Förster
Out: Asano (international duty), Bernardo (suspended), Esser (knee), K. Schlotterbeck (muscular), Tolba (knee)
Coach: Thomas Letsch