Ihlas Bebou bagged a hat-trick as Hoffenheim won a nine-goal thriller away at Greuther Fürth in which both sides took the lead and Timothy Tillman got his first Bundesliga goal.

Greuther Fürth 3-6 Hoffenheim
Goals: 1-0 Leweling 22’ (assist: Hrgota), 1-1 Bebou 32’ (assist: Rutter), 1-2 Rutter 40’ (assist: Raum), 2-2 Tillman 46’ (assist: Hrgota), 2-3 Rutter 57’ (assist: Raum), 2-4 Bebou (62’), 2-5 Meyerhöfer (o.g. 66’), 3-5 Hrgota 67’ (assist: Leweling), 3-6 Bebou 80’ (assist: Kramaric)

Although they only had one point from the first 12 games, Fürth started strongly and looked the most likely to find a breakthrough, although both sides only had half chances. That was until Hoffenheim came close when Munas Dabbur turned a corner towards goal and Marius Funk showed great reactions to claw it away. Greuther then went straight up the other end and took the lead as captain Branimir Hrgota cut back from the left after excellent pressing and Jamie Leweling picked out the far post on his left foot with a first-time effort. Things then flipped on their head as first Tillman struck the outside of the post for the promoted club before TSG broke up field, Georginio Rutter delivering the low cross from the left for Ihlas Bebou to put in on the slide at the far post. Hoffenheim’s turnaround was complete before the break when a short corner on the left dragged the Fürth defence out of position before going back out wide, where former Greuther man David Raum crossed and Rutter headed in.

The second half got off to a blistering start as Fürth levelled inside 20 seconds. Bebou lost the ball inside his own half and the hosts broke forward, Hrgota again the provider as he picked out Tillman in the middle to sweep home. But the star of the day, Rutter, would restore TSG’s lead with a belting shot from the left corner of the box, arrowing into the far top corner past a helpless Marius Funk. The Fürth goalkeeper did very well moments later to deny Bebou one-on-one as the forward went for a chip, but the ball fell kindly for the Togolese to tap in the rebound and bring up his brace as well. It was five for the visitors when Marco Meyerhöfer put into his own net at a corner, but the hosts got one back seconds later when Hrgota added to his two assists with a goal of his own after Leweling’s low ball from the right. Bebou’s hat-trick was wrapped up as he ran onto substitute Andrej Kramaric’s through ball and got his lob right this time. It would remain at nine goals, though, for the highest scoring game of the Bundesliga season, but Fürth stay bottom of the table without a win. Hoffenheim remain on the fringe of the European places.

Match stats

• Bebou’s hat-trick was his first in the Bundesliga as Hoffenheim scored six for the first time in a Bundesliga away game.
• Rutter got his first Bundesliga brace to double his goal tally in the league. He’s now scored with his head and both feet.
• Leweling’s goal was his third of the season and the first time Fürth had taken the lead at home in the league in 2021/22.
• Tillman scored his first professional goal in his 54th game, including 14 in the Bundesliga.
• Greuther have still never won a Bundesliga home game in 23 attempts.
• The last 6-3 in the Bundesliga was a Gladbach win in Leverkusen in August 2010.

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Line-ups

Fürth: Funk – Asta (Barry 70’), Bauer, Sarpei, Meyerhöfer – Tillman (Dudzuak 79’), Christiansen, Nielsen (Griesbeck 87’) - Leweling, Abiama (Itten 70’), Hrgota (c)
Unused subs: Burchert, Fein, Seufert, Willems, Green
Out: Hoogma (knee), Jung (knee), Ngankam (knee), Seguin (cold), Viergever (ankle)
Coach: Stefan Leitl

Hoffenheim: Pentke - Posch, Grillitsch (c), Vogt – Akpoguma (Kramaric 57’), Samassekou (Stiller 57’), Geiger, Raum – Rutter (Adamyan 83’), Dabbur (Richards 62’), Bebou (Nordtveit 83’)
Unused subs: Philipp, Gacinovic, Hübner, Asslani
Out: Baumann (knock), Baumgartner (thigh), Bicakcic (knee), Bruun Larsen (muscular), John (shoulder), Kaderabek (ankle), Rudy (muscular), Skov (thigh)
Coach: Sebastian Hoeneß

About the clubs

SpVgg Greuther Fürth

Sportpark Ronhof | Thomas Sommer

TSG Hoffenheim

PreZero Arena