bundesliga

Hoffenheim produce magnificent comeback to stun leaders Borussia Dortmund

11.02.2019

Hoffenheim scored three goals in the final 15 minutes to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, preventing the Bundesliga leaders from staying seven points clear at the top.

Borussia Dortmund 3-3 Hoffenheim

Goals: 1-0 Sancho (32'), 2-0 Götze (43'), 3-0 Guerreiro (67'), 3-1 Belfodil (75'), 3-2 Kaderabek (83'), 3-3 Belfodil (87')

Dortmund made five changes from their DFB Cup loss to Werder Bremen on Tuesday, but it didn't take long for the hosts to take control of proceedings at a wet and windy Signal Iduna Park. They thought they had the lead when a Stefan Posch clearance ricocheted in off Jadon Sancho, but the goal was correctly ruled out for a Maximilian Philipp offside. Undeterred, BVB continued to pour forward in waves, with Sancho, Mario Götze and Raphael Guerreiro in inspired form. After Philipp flashed an effort just wide, they deservedly took the lead on 32 minutes; the irrepressible Sancho exchanged passes with Lukasz Piszczek and made an angled run across the Hoffenheim penalty area, steering a low drive past Oliver Baumann and into the far corner for 1-0. The 18-year-old continued to look dangerous every time he got the ball and was heavily involved in Dortmund's second, latching onto Axel Witsel's pass on the counter-attack and unleashing an attempt that Baumann could only parry into the path of Götze. The 26-year-old swept in his 50th Bundesliga goal to put the home side firmly in the driving seat at half-time.

Julian Nagelsmann made two changes at the break, bringing on Dennis Geiger and Ishak Belfodil, and the visitors were much improved at the start of the second half. Nico Schulz saw a deflected effort whistle just wide, before Roman Bürki produced fine saves to deny Joelinton and Belfodil. The hosts then extended their lead against the run of play, producing a goal from almost nothing; a cute backheel from Sancho into the path of Götze, who pulled it back for Guerreiro to sweep in a third. The chances continued to flow at both ends – Bürki came up with a magnificent save from Pavel Kaderabek before Sancho clipped the post – before Hoffenheim stunned the home crowd with three goals in the space of 12 minutes. Belfodil got the first after an error from Abdou Diallo, with Bürki carrying the ball over his line, before Kaderabek sent in a looping header for 3-2. The comeback was complete when Belfodil nodded in from a free-kick three minutes from time, as a stunned Dortmund dropped two potentially vital points in the 2018/19 Bundesliga title race.

Watch: Jadon Sancho describes the incredible game

Jadon Sancho (r.) notched his seventh Bundesliga goal of the season on Saturday, but Ishak Belfodil (c.) got two as Hoffenheim hit back to draw 3-3. - 2019 Getty Images

Match stats

Hoffenheim recovered from a three-goal deficit for the first time since September 2016, when they came from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 with Mainz.
Sancho scored his first Bundesliga goal of 2019, his seventh of the current campaign. At 18 years and 321 days, the Englishman is now the youngest player in history to reach eight Bundesliga goals overall, breaking the previous mark held by Christian Wück.
Götze netted his 50th Bundesliga goal in his 204th top-flight appearance. The 26-year-old has scored 28 for Dortmund, after notching 22 for Bayern Munich between 2013 and 2016.
Götze's team have never lost in the Bundesliga when he has scored (W36, D7).
After failing to score at all in the Hinrunde, Guerreiro has already netted twice in the Rückrunde.
Dortmund have taken 29 from a possible 33 points at home this season, scoring at least twice in each of their 11 games at the Signal Iduna Park. BVB have now scored 58 goals, their highest tally at this stage since the inaugural Bundesliga season of 1963/64.

Line-ups

Dortmund: Bürki – Piszczek (c), Weigl, Diallo, Hakimi – Witsel, Dahoud – Sancho, Philipp (Alcacer 70'), Guerreiro (Wolf 90'+2) – Götze (Toprak 83')
Unused subs: Hitz, Schmelzer, Bruun Larsen, Pulisic
Out: Akanji (hip), Delaney (suspended), Reus (muscle injury), Balerdi (facial injury)
Coach: Lucien Favre

Hoffenheim: Baumann – Posch, Hübner (c), Bicakcic – Kaderabek, Bittencourt (Nelson 70'), Grillitsch, Demirbay (Geiger 46'), Schulz – Kramaric (Belfodil 46'), Joelinton
Unused subs: Stolz, Brenet, Amiri, Szalai
Out: Vogt (thigh), Rupp (knee), Ribeiro (South American U20 Championship), Adams (thigh)
Coach: Julian Nagelsmann