With two goals in the final 15 minutes, Hoffenheim came from one goal behind to stage a shock win against an incredibly wasteful Borussia Dortmund. The defeat for Dortmund came in the final match before the Winterpause. After Tuesday’s draw against RB Leipzig, the black and yellows look like anything but title challengers.
Wastefulness Proving Costly for Borussia Dortmund
The Favourites
Dortmund came into the match as heavy favourites. Lucien Favre’s men took the lead through Mario Gotze’s third goal of the season, which was followed by a period of Dortmund dominance, but in the second half, they squandered many chances to put the game to bed.
Shortly after Götze’s opener, left-back Robert Skov’s free-kick hit Roman Bürki’s post. Throughout the second half, Achraf Hakimi, Julian Brandt, and Jadon Sancho combined well, but these combinations always seemed to fall short at the final pass.
The wasted chances would come back to haunt Dortmund, as Hoffenheim came to life late in the second half. In the 79th minute, Armenian striker Sargis Adamyan found his side the equaliser after a poor clearance from Lukasz Piszczek. Dortmund responded well by continuing to press forward, but the attack continued to lack the killer instinct necessary. Favre then decided to bring on Paco Alcácer, in an attempt to remedy the deteriorating situation, but the Spanish striker was introduced far too late.
Two Late Goals Seal the Victory for Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim found their winner just minutes later through an Andrej Kramaric header. Hakimi continued to put dangerous balls into the box as Dortmund searched for an equaliser, but they never seemed to find a black and yellow shirt. With the absence of Marco Reus and Alcácer’s cameo appearance, Dortmund lacked the firepower and experience to put Hoffenheim away.
After Tuesday’s disappointing draw at home to RB Leipzig, this loss confirms criticisms that, under Favre, Dortmund are not consistent enough to seriously challenge for the Meisterschalle. Hoffenheim away is exactly the type of match a title contender needs to win. The black and yellows should have ended the first half of the Bundesliga campaign with 35 points and vying for first position. Instead, they sit on 30 points and could sink to fifth after the rest of the weekend’s programme.
Dortmund Need to Play with a True Striker
The main problem throughout this match was the absence of true striker leading the line for Dortmund. While Götze might have scored the opener, he is no number nine, and the attack lacked a fox in the box that could put away Hakimi’s excellent crosses.
The next match for Dortmund in the Bundesliga is not until the 18th of January in Augsburg, giving Lucien Favre and the squad plenty of time to freshen up for another five months of football. If RB Leipzig defeat Augsburg this weekend, the black and yellows will trail the league leaders by seven points. Dortmund have the squad to challenge for the Meisterschalle, but with such incredibly wasteful performances, the top four will be the most fans can hope for.
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